Exercises  in  Punctuation 

A.  M,  Smith 


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RXRRGISRS  IN 

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By    ADfiLE     MILLICENT     SMITH 


FORMER  SECRETARY  TO  THE  PRESIDENT  AND  INSTRUCTOR 
IN  PROOFREADING,  DREXEL  INSTITUTE,  PHILADELPHIA,  AND 
AUTHOR  OF  "printing  AND  WRITING  MATERIALS," 
"proofreading     and    punctuation,"    and    "EXERCISES 

IN  proofreading."     :::::::::::: 


PHILADELPHIA 
PUBLISHED    BY  THE   AUTHOR 
1905 


C  C   C     C  c  <  \ 

'  ':  :  .<:  .'    '        copyright,  loa^by 

AutijB  MiLucENT  Smm 
AUrighU 


THE  JOHN  C.  WINSTON  COMr>ANY 

ioo6-ioie  AUCH  sTReer 

PHII^DBLPHIA.  PA. 


PREFACE 

TN  the  following  pages  sufficient  practise  material 
is  furnished  to  enable  the  student  to  acquire  a 
knowledge  of  the  use  of  marks  of  punctuation  as 
they  are  employed  by  the  best  writers  and  publishers 
of  the  present  day.  In  regard  to  the  use  of  some 
points,  as  in  the  case  of  the  comma  and  the  dash,  the 
rules  are  not  always  hard  and  fast,  and  the  individual 
judgment  of  the  teacher  or  the  taste  of  the  advanced 
student  must  be  the  guide  in  the  punctuation. 

No  mark  is  omitted  from  the  Practise  Sentences, 
until  its  uses  have  been  fully  explained.  As  one 
rule  after  another  is  taken  up,  the  marks  are  gradu- 
ally dropped  from  the  sentences,  and  the  student 
advances  progressively  to  more  and  more  difficult 
work. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  book  will  fulfill  its  purpose 
and  supply  the  need  that  has  long  been  felt  in  both 
academic  and  business  schools,  for  a  work  containing 
sufficient  practise  material  to  teach  the  student  the 
proper  method  of  making  clear  the  grammatical 
construction  and  the  meaning  of  written  matter. 

A.  M.  S. 
(iii) 


S4286i 


CONTENTS 

Chapteb  Paob 

I.  The  Period 1 

II.  The  Colon 8 

III.  The  Semicolon 17 

IV.  The  Comma 30 

V.  The  Interrogation  Point 62 

VI.  The  Exclamation  Point 72 

VII.  The  Dash 78 

VIII.  Marks  of  Parenthesis 91 

IX.  Brackets 97 

X.  Quotation  Marks 102 

XI.  The  Apostrophe 114 

XII.  The  Hyphen 117 

XIII.  Reference    Marks  —  Miscellaneous 

Marks 126 

XIV.  Capital  Letters 130 

XV.  The  Italic  Letter 147 


<v) 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/exercisesinpunctOOsmitrich 


Exercises  in  Punctuation 


The  principal  punctuation  marks  are:  the  period 
(.),  colon  ( :),  semicolon  (;),  comma  (,),  interroga- 
tion point  (?),  exclamation  point  (!),  dash  ( — ), 
marks  of  parenthesis  (  ),  brackets  [  ],  double  quota- 
tion marks  ( "  " ),  single  quotation  marks  (  *  ' ), 
apostrophe  ( ' ),  and  hyphen  (-  ). 


CHAPTER  I 
THE  PERIOD 

1.    Ends  of  S«nt*no«s. 

A  period  is  used  at  the  end  of  a  complete  sentence 
which  is  declarative,  imperative,  or  but  slightly 
exclamatory. 

We  pass  for  what  we  are.  Character  teaches  above  our 
wills. 

Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother. 
A  wide  freedom,  truly. 

(1) 


2  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  Time  gives  us  clearer  vision 

2.  The  goat  of  to-day  must  be  the  starting-point  of  to- 
morrow 

•3-  The  di»n^'er  is  terrible      The  time  is  short 
'   4.  Night   continued  to   fall      A  cold  wind  was  blowing 

f^j6ci  ,'c}ie  iVlps 
* '  5.  tie  apoka  tc  the  heart      He  did  not  dominate  by  force 

He  made  no  effort  to  command 

6.  There  was  a  stone  there  Hie  Bishop  sat  down  The 
beginning  was  abrupt 

7.  Take  these     They  are  loaded 

8.  He  listened      Not  a  sound     He  gave  the  door  a  push 

9.  Nothing  can  bring  you  peace  but  yourself  Nothing 
can  bring  you  peace  but  the  triumph  of  principles 

10.  But  Tarik  had  literally  burned  his  ships  behind  him 
His  men  knew  he  had  He  told  them  that  in  ^^ctory  was 
their  only  chance 

11.  That  is  how  it  is  There  will  be  some  sort  of  catas- 
trophe in  this  town  this  very  night      Every  one  says  so 

12.  He  wore  no  mask  He  knew  his  friends  His  enemies 
knew  him 

13.  The  doctor  and  the  cur6  had  been  summoned  Tlie 
doctor  had  arrived  too  late  The  son  also  had  arrived  too 
late 

14.  Remember  that  you  brought  nothing  into  this  world 
and  can  carry  nothing  out  of  it 

15.  The  darkness  was  bewildering  Man  requires  light 
Whoever  buries  himself  in  the  opposite  of  day  feels  his  heart 
contract 

16.  Why,  really,  I  don't  know     Let  us  go  at  once 

17.  There  are  no  fixtures  in  nature  The  universe  is  fluid 
and  volatile      Permanency  is  but  a  word  of  degrees 

18.  So  much  the  better      I  shall  need  it 

19.  He  had  slept  more  than  four  hours  His  fatigue  had 
passed  away  He  was  accustomed  not  to  devote  many  hours 
to  repose 


THE  PERIOD  3 

20.  Undoubtedly,  that  will  be  left  for  you  to  do 

21.  Each  man  has  his  own  vocation  The  talent  is  the 
call  There  is  one  direction  in  which  all  space  is  open  to 
him 

22.  Send  for  a  messenger  at  once 

23.  Well,  then,  be  it  so 

24.  She  stepped  to  the  window  The  snow  was  still 
falling      The  lamps  had  just  been  lighted 

25.  No  doubt  each  one  digs  up  exactly  what  he  is  deter- 
mined to  dig  up  He  brings  away  only  what  he  has  taken 
thither  And  what  be  wisdom  and  diamonds  to  him  are 
folly  and  simple  earth  to  all  others 


2.    Abbreviated  Words. 

A  period  is  generally  placed  after  an  abbreviation; 
as,  M.  D.,  Esq.,  e.  g.  for  exempli  gratia  (for  example), 
etc.    When  a  sentence  ends  with  an  abbreviated  word, 
only  one  point  is  needed. 

Words  which  are  merely  a  shortening  of  proper 
names  or  of  dates  are  not  followed  by  a  period;  as, 
Bess,  Ben,  Jim;  1st,  2nd,  7th.  Roman  nmiierals, 
unless  used  to  number  a  table  of  contents  or  a  list 
of  subjects,  do  not  require  a  period. 

The  period  may  be  omitted  when  a  colon  or  an 
interrogation  point  follows  an  abbreviation:  Has 
he  the  degree  of  Ph.  D? 

When  a  sidehead  is  placed  at  the  beginning  of  a 
paragraph,  it  is  followed  by  a  period  and  a  dash. 

A  period  should  be  placed  after  each  item  of  a 
catalogue  or  a  syllabus  when  the  items  are  not 
closely  related. 


4  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  James  Sinclair,  A  M  ,  M  D 

2.  He  has  received  the  degree  of  D  D  S 

3.  Dr    Robert  Vincent,  jr ,  has  returned  to  his  native 
town 

4.  Nicholas  Murray  Butler,  Ph  D  ,  LL  D  ,  President  of 
Columbia  University 

5.  In  45  B  C  ,  Julius  Caesar  gained  the  decisive  battle  of 
Munda 

6.  The  Moors  surrendered  Granada  on  the  2nd  day  of 
January,  A  D    1492 

7.  The  sun  rises  at  4.25  a  m  and  sets  at  7.47  p  m 

8.  The  train  leaves  promptly  at  12  m 

9.  The  Commissioners  will  arrive  to-morrow  afternoon, 
on  the  3  45  train 

10.  Your  letter  of  the  5th  inst  was  duly  received 

11.  In  response  to  your  order  of  the  31st  ult  ,  the  goods 
will  be  shipped  promptly,  via  Delaware  &  Lackawanna  R  R 

12.  Our  coal  will  arrive  over  the  P  R  R 

13.  He  receives  four  per  cent   interest  on  his  money 

14.  In  response  to  your  order,  I  can  send  you  to-day  only 
17  cwt  of  flour 

15.  The  Empire  Dynamic  Co  of  Dover,  Del ,  is  shipping 
high  explosives  in  carloads  to  Annapolis 

16.  Napoleon  I  was  crowned  by  Pope  Pius  VII  on  the  2nd 
of  December,  1804 

17.  Lecture    I»   Ancient    Relief.  Processes.    Printing    in 
Europe, 

18.  Fred's  three  school  friends,  Tom,  Will,  and  Ben,  spent 
the  holidays  with  him 

19.  On  the  14th  of  July,  1789,  occurred  the  storming  of 
the  Bastille 

20.  Thomas  Babington  Macaulay,  b    1800,  d    1859 

21.  The  museum  opens  at  9  a  m  and  closes  at  6  p  m 

22.  The  engine  was  built  by  the  Excelsior  Steam  Turbine 
Co  of  Poughkeepsie,  N  Y 


THE  PERIOD  5 

23.  An  examination  must  be  taken  in  various  subjects, 
for  which  markings  are  given  up  to  forty-eight  counts:  e  g 
mathematics,  four  points;  geometry,  four  points;  advanced 
English,  four  points;   etc  ,  etc 

24.  A  few  of  the  churches — e  g  St  Paul's — will  be  closed 
during  the  summer  for  repairs 

25.  The  book  can  be  procured  from  Messrs  Gee  «fe  Co  , 
34  Moorgate  Street,  London,  E  C 


GENERAL  PRACTISE 

\.  Beware  of  the  man  who  promises  too  much 

2.  No  one  was  visible  Hardly  the  sound  of  a  breath  was 
audible 

3.  We  should  receive  a  reply  by  eleven  a  m    to-morrow 

4.  Much  good  may  it  do  you 

5.  Everywhere  he  gained  devoted  friends  Everywhere 
he  was  honored  and  loved 

6.  A  very  hard  winter  came  Jean  had  no  work  The 
family  had  no  bread      No  bread,  literally 

7.  Hear  me,  my  child      You  are  not  acting  wisely 

8.  The  Arabs  conquered  Samarkand  in  704  A  D  ,  and 
there  learned  the  use  of  paper 

9.  Unbroken  success  is  necessary  only  for  cowards  In- 
deed, one  may  go  farther  and  say  that  the  secret  of  the 
highest  success  in  important  affairs  often  lies  in  failure 

10.  After  three  years  of  experiment  on  the  part  of  the 
Messrs  Stanley,  they  are  now  prepared  to  turn  out  carriages 
very  rapidly 

11.  He  opened  the  envelope  It  was  not  sealed,  and  con- 
tained four  letters,  also  unsealed      They  bore  addresses 

12.  Come,  come,  this  reconciles  me  somewhat  with  the 
matter 

13.  How  seldom  one  learns  wisdom  from  the  experience 
of  others 


6  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

14.  Be  it  how  it  will,  do  right  now.  Always  scorn  appear- 
ances and  you  always  may  The  force  of  character  is  cumula- 
tive All  the  foregone  days  of  virtue  work  their  health  into 
this 

15.  The  price  is  26  cents  per  gallon,  in  barrels,  fob,  New 
Haven 

16.  Set  out  to-morrow  morning  I  think  there  is  a  coach 
that  leaves  at  sLx      Take  it      He  says  there  is  haste 

17.  What  is  necessary  to  cause  these  spectres  to  vanish? 
Light  Light  in  floods  Not  a  single  bat  can  resist  the  dawn 
Light  up  society  from  below 

18.  We  charge  ten  per  cent  on  all  collections  of  $50,000, 
and  over 

19.  A  crop  of  450,000  cwt    is  expected 

20.  He  ventured  to  peep  into  the  next  room  Nothing 
had  stirred  there      Nothing  was  moving  in  the  house 

21.  A  crank  is  a  man  who  does  his  own  thinking  I  had  a 
relation  who  was  called  a  crank  I  believe  I  have  been 
spoken  of  as  one  myself. — Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 

22.  The  case  of  Morse  V8  Fmk,  etal  ,18  on  the  list  for  trial 
next  Monday 

23.  His  address  is  No  1208  F  Street,  N  W  ,  Washington, 
D  C 

24.  In  1660  Louis  XTV  married  Maria  Theresa,  daughter 
of  Philip  IV  of  Spain 

25.  Please  forward  us  a  case  of  65  lb  cream  wove  paper 

26.  The  host  went  to  him  They  exchanged  a  few  words 
in  a  low  tone  The  stranger  had  become  absorbed  in  his  own 
reflections 

27.  I  think  that  the  most  honorable  title  is  that  of  General 
This  my  soldiers  have  given  me  Other  nations  revere  the 
name  of  King  But  no  Roman  can  endure  that  name. — 
PUBLIUS  SciPio 

28.  The  man  made  no  reply  He  raised  his  head  A 
sound  of  footsteps  was  audible  in  the  plain 

29.  In  states  where  such  a  law  exists — e  g  New  Jersey, 
Pennsylvania,   Maryland,   etc — the  candidate    must  prove 


THE  PERIOD  7 

to  the  examining  board  that  he  possesses  the  necessary  educa- 
tional qualification 

30.  Discrimination  comes  through  enlightenment  There 
b  no  art  like  good  art  Bad  literature  is  fought  most  effec- 
tively with  good  literature  Especially  should  the  children 
be  guarded  from  contamination 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  COLON 

1.    A  Quot«tion,i«  Speech,  or  mn  Enumeration  of 
Particulars,  Formafiy  introduced. 

K^  A  quotation,  a  speech,  a  course  of  reasoning,  or 
an  enumeration  of  particulars,  when  formally  intro- 
duced, should  be  preceded  by  a  colon. 

The  best  blessing  which  can  be  promised  is  that  last  bless- 
ing of  Moses  for  Asher:  "Thy  shoes  shall  be  iron  and  brass; 
and  as  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be." 

Mr.  Speaker:  I  hope,  sir,  that,  notwithstanding  the 
austerity  of  the  Chair,  your  good  nature  will  incline  you  to 
some  degree  of  indulgence  toward  human  frailty. 

Please  supply  us  with  samples  of  the  following  woods: 
quartered  white  oak,  bird's  eye  maple,  mahogany. 

^   If  the  quotation  is  short  and  closely  connected  with 
what  precedes,  a  comma  before  it  is  sufficient. 

There  is  much  truth  in  the  proverb,  Without  pains  no  gains. 

The  colon  is  frequently  used  in  dignified  address. 
It  is  thus  employed  after  the  salutation  of  a  letter. 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  Disraeli  has  said  To  every  individual,  nature  has  given 
a  distinct  sort  of  writing,  as  she  has  given  him  a  peculiar 
countenance,  voice,  and  manners 

(8) 


THE  COLON  9 

2.  Emerson  says  Every  good  and  commanding  move- 
ment in  the  annals  of  the  world  is  the  triumph  of  enthusiasm. 
Nothing  great  was  ever  accomplished  without  it 

3.  Thus,  the  true  life  calls  for  a  certain  severity  of  dealing, 
as  if  one  should  say  to  himself  "You  may  like  to  do  this 
thing,  or  you  may  not  like  to  do  it,  but  you  must  do  it  " 

4.  An  eminent  French  journalist  paid  a  high  compliment 
to  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  when  his  documents  were  pub- 
lished "Here  are  twelve  volumes  of  military  despatches 
and  the  word  glory  is  not  found  in  them  " 

5.  As  the  Emperor  Maximilian  of  Mexico,  one  of  the  least 
fortunate  persons  of  our  day,  rightly  said  The  abandoning 
of  an  untruth  or  of  a  prejudice,  brings  with  it  forthwith  a 
sensation  of  joy 

6.  Fox  had  declared  of  his  Ministry  "From  the  moment 
I  should  make  any  terms  with  one  of  them,  I  should  rest 
satisfied  to  be  called  the  most  infamous  of  mankind  " 

7.  As  an  English  minister,  all  I  have  to  say  is  May  God 
prosper  this  attempt  at  the  establishment  of  constitutional 
liberty  in  Portugal  1 

8.  A  sentence  of  Mr.  Allen  Upward's  will  sufficiently 
describe  the  spirit  of  this  book  "Let  us  try  to  tolerate  each 
other  instead  of  trying  to  convert  each  other  " 

9.  Gentlemen  The  Chairman  has  correctly  reminded 
you  that  this  is  not  the  first  time  that  my  voice  has  been 
heard  in  this  hall 

10.  Mr.  President  No  man  thinks  more  highly  than  I  do 
of  the  patriotism  as  well  as  abilities  of  the  very  worthy 
gentlemen  who  have  just  addressed  the  Senate 

11.  It  is  in  fact  simply  this  Has  the  civil  magistrate  a 
right  to  put  down  a  riot? 

12.  The  main  question,  however,  is  this  Was  it  obligatory 
upon  us  to  comply  with  that  requisition? 

13.  My  fifth  principle,  gentlemen,  is  this  To  acknowledge 
the  equal  rights  of  all  nations 

14.  The  liabilities  should  be  arranged  in  the  following 
order  creditors  imsecured,  creditors  fully  secured,  creditors 
partially  secured 


10  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

15.  The  best  possessions  one  can  have  in  life,  and  the  things 
which,  with  reasonable  sagacity,  are  the  easiest  to  get,  are 
these  firm  moral  principles,  intellectual  discipline,  love, 
loyalty,  the  capacity  for  work  and  the  enjoyment  of  it, 
spiritual  and  physical  health,  and  very  moderate  worldly 


16.  Replying  to  your  letter  of  the  22nd  inst ,  we  desire 
to  say  that  we  can  give  you  the  following  rates  for  a  land- 
side  room,  $30  to  $35  per  week;  for  a  room  facing  the  ocean, 
$35  to  $50  per  week 

17.  We  offer  you  these  slides  at  especially  low  prices,  as 
follows  uncolored,  25  cents  each,  net;  colored,  50  cents  each, 
net 

18.  We  call  attention  to  our  display  of 

Rich  Bohemian  Glassware, 
Blue  Delft  and  Italian  Fa'ience, 
Latest  Novelties  in  Dresden  China 

19.  The  two  lots  I  wish  to  sell  are  Lot  No  1803,  50  by 
135  feet,  Garfield  and  Central  Streets;  Lot  No  1820,  50  by 
130  feet,  Asbury  and  Central  Streets 

20.  We  could  use  any  of  the  following  varieties  of  tiles 
Glazed  Spanish,  A;  glazed  French,  B;  dark  red  French,  A; 
Spanish  B,  dark  color,  old  stock 

21.  We  offer  you  the  following  low  rates  100  copies,  one 
page,  letter  size,  $1.25;  500  copies,  one  page,  letter  size, 
$4.00 

22.  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to 
have  this  opportunity  to  bring  before  your  notice  the  cause 
we  all  have  so  much  at  heart 

23.  May  it  please  your  Honor  These  evidences  of  debt 
constitute  a  contract  in  the  state  where  they  were  made 

24.  Dear  Sir 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  28th  ult  ,  we 
desire  to  state  that  we  can  ship  the  goods  to  you  on  Monday 

25.  Gentlemen 

Will  you  kindly  forward  us  a  case  of  eighty- 
lb   laid  paper,  such  as  you  have  furnished  us  heretofore? 


THE  COLON  11 

2.    Statements  in  Apposition,  and  a  Generic  Term 
followed  by  Specifications. 

A  colon  should  be  placed  between  two  clauses  not 
connected  by  a  conjunction,  when  the  second  is  in 
some  way  in  apposition  with  the  first,  or  is  added  as 
an  explanation  or  illustration. 

The  colon  is  used  also  after  a  general  term  followed 
by  several  statements  in  apposition  with  it;  the 
statements  are  separated  from  one  another  by  semi- 
colons or  by  commas. 

There  is  nothing  simple  in  these  beliefs:  they  are  awful, 
tremendous  beliefs. 

Every  habit  and  faculty  Ls  maintained  and  increased  by 
the  corre8p>onding  action:  the  habit  of  walking  by  walking, 
the  habit  of  running  by  running. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  No  imitator   of    Jefferson  [Joseph]  ever  gained  his 
laurel    by  Jefferson  himself  it  was  never  lost 

2.  The  topmost  round  of  the  ladder  had  been  reached  by 
this  time    he  had  held  his  secretaryship  these  twenty  years 

3.  Every  day  the  distress  became  sharper    every  day  the 
murmurs  became  louder 

4.  You  speak  truth,  friend     my  garments  are  as  weather- 
stained  as  an  old  sail 

5.  Its  manifestations  do  not  merely  startle     they  also 
delight 

6.  Man,  you  have  forgotten  your  purpose    you  were  not 
traveling  to  this  inn,  but  you  were  passing  through  it 

7.  Religion  brings  no  gloom  into  this  sunshine    before  the 
Buddhas  and  the  gods  folk  smile  as  they  pray 

8.  The  idea  of  prophetic  gifts  was  not  a  remote  one  in  that 


12  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

age    seers  of  visions  were  far  from  uncommon  either  outside 
or  inside  the  cloister 

9.  I  do  not  sleep     I  see,  I  hear,  I  speak 

10.  Were  he  never  so  benighted,  forgetful  of  his  high 
calling,  there  is  always  hope  in  a  man  that  actually  and 
earnestly  works    in  idleness  alone  is  there  perpetual  despair 

11.  Not  that  Pierre  either  feared  the  cardinal  or  despised 
him  he  was  not  weak  enough  to  do  the  one,  nor  self-sufficient 
enough  to  do  the  other 

12.  He  could  not  protect  the  weak  all  that  he  could  do 
was  to  abstain  from  plundering  and  oppressing  them;  and 
this  he  appears  to  have  done 

13.  Think  of  these  things,  these  opinions,  these  words 
look  to  these  examples  if  you  would  be  free,  if  you  desire  the 
thing  according  to  its  worth 

14.  It  is  with  nations  as  with  individuals  that  which  tells 
is  what  they  learn  by  themselves,  at  their  own  cost;  and  their 
mistakes  form  the  heritage  of  the  future 

15.  It  is  wise  to  face  the  ultimate  truth  which  must  sooner 
or  later  confront  us  we  make  or  mar  ourselves,  and  we  are 
the  masters  of  our  own  fates  and  fortunes 

16.  Genius  lies  in  the  man  that  is  all  anybody  can  tell 
you  about  it 

17.  Doubtless  you  opened  this  letter  thinking  it  was  a 
sealed  envelope  it  is  a  circular,  mailed  for  one  cent  in  our 
patent  envelope 

18.  The  work  of  man  is  as  the  swimmer's  a  waste  ocean 
threatens  to  devour  him;  if  he  front  it  not  bravely,  it  will 
keep  its  word 

19.  Endeavor  to  excel  much  may  be  accomplished  by 
perseverance 

20.  This,  after  all,  is  the  one  unhappiness  of  a  man  that 
he  cannot  work;  that  he  cannot  get  his  destiny  as  a  man  ful- 
filled 

21.  Nature  cannot  be  cheated  man's  life  is  but  seventy 
salads  long,  grow  they  swift  or  grow  they  slow 

22.  It  is  written  in  our  nature  that  we  are  extreme  beings 
that  is  our  force  and  the  cause  of  our  progress 


THE  COLON  13 

23.  Family  existence  [in  Japan]  would  seem  to  be  ever>'- 
where  characterised  by  gentleness  there  is  no  visible  quar- 
reling, no  loud  harshness,  no  tears  and  reproaches 

24.  In  Japan  tools  are  of  surprising  shapes,  and  are  handled 
after  surprising  methods  the  blacksmith  squats  at  his  anvil, 
wielding  a  hammer  such  as  no  Western  smith  could  use  with- 
out long  practice;  the  carpenter  pulls,  instead  of  pushing, 
his  extraordinary  plane  and  saw 

25.  These  people  had  several  ways  of  being  good  company 
one  would  play,  another  sing  some  soothing  ballad,  another 
tell  some  pleasing  story 


3.    Members  of  «  Sentence  whioh  are  Subdivided 
by  Semicolons. 

The  colon  is  sometimes  used  to  separate  two 
members  of  a  compoimd  sentence  which  are  sub- 
divided by  semicolons.  Such  cases,  however,  are 
of  rare  occurrence. 

For  this  is  my  own  business;  that  belongs  to  another:  no 
man  can  prevent  this;  the  other  thing  can  be  hindered. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  Think  it  not  thy  business,  this  of  knowing  thyself; 
thou  art  an  unknowable  individual  know  what  thou  canst 
work  at;   and  work  at  it,  like  a  Hercules 

2.  Every  one  must,  of  course,  think  his  own  opinions 
right;  for  if  he  thought  them  wrong,  they  would  no  longer 
be  his  opinions  but  there  is  a  wide  difference  between 
regarding  ourselves  as  infallible  and  being  very  firmly  con- 
vinced of  the  truth  of  our  creed 

3.  A  beautiful  form  is  better  than  a  beautiful  face;  a 
beautiful  behavior  is  better  than  a  beautiful  form  it  gives 
a  higher  pleasure  than  statues  or  pictures;  it  is  the  finest 
of  the  fine  arts 


14  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

GENERAL  PRACTISE 

1.  Socrates  said  Every  man  has  need  of  a  faithful  friend 
and  a  bitter  enemy;  the  one  to  advise  him,  and  the  other 
to  make  him  look  around  him 

2.  Lord  Nelson  once  said  "I  owe  all  my  success  in  life  to 
having  been  always  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  my  time  " 

3.  In  my  opinion,  the  third  sound  principle  is  this  To 
strive  to  cultivate  and  maintain,  aye,  to  the  very  uttermost 
what  is  called  the  concert  of  Europe 

4.  There  is  much  wisdom  in  Lord  Chesterfield's  advice  to 
his  son  in  regard  to  time  "Every  moment  you  now  lose  is 
so  much  character  and  advantage  lost;  as,  on  the  other  hand, 
every  moment  you  now  employ  usefully  is  so  much  time 
wisely  laid  out  at  prodigious  interest  " 

5.  Please  ship  us  by  freight,  ^^a  Konova  1  case  coke- 
valves.  No   3;    1  case  coke-nipples  to  match  valves 

6.  We  call  attention  to  the  following  margins  On  stocks, 
S3  per  share,  and  upwards;  grain,  3  cents  per  bushel;  $1 
per  bale  on  cotton 

7.  What  great  book  was  ever  written  without  enthusiasm 
without  utter  absorption  in  the  characters,  the  plot,  the 
minutest  details  of  the  work? 

8.  Thy  penalties,  thy  poverties,  neglects,  contumelies 
behold,  aU  these  are  good  for  thee 

9.  The  shipment  was  billed,  as  follows  Lehigh  Valley, 
car  No  23678;  Pennsylvania,  car  No  15691;  and  New  York, 
New  Haven,  and  Hartford,  car  No  68752 

10.  We  take  pleasure  in  enclosing  you  samples  of  bond 
paper,  and  quote  you  prices,  as  follows  8x11,  16  lb  ,  at  40 
cents  per  ream;  20  lb,  at  50  cents  per  ream;  8  x  13,  16  lb  ,  at 
55  cents  per  ream 

11.  The  yeaily  expenses  would  be 

Taxes $35 

Water  rent 15 

on  first  mortgage   100 

$150 


THE  COLON  15 

12.  Concerning  the  second  aphorism  of  von  Ivlinger's 
there  is  this  to  add  that  no  self-seeking  person  ever  reaches 
the  end  he  most  desires 

13.  The  condition  and  characteristic  of  an  uninstructed 
person  is  this  he  never  expects  from  himself  profit  nor  harm, 
but  from  externals 

14.  Life  never  was  a  May-game  for  men  in  all  times  the 
lot  of  the  dumb  millions  bom  to  toil  was  defaced  with  manifold 
sufferings,  injustices,  heavy  burdens 

15.  Two  things  have  I  required  of  thee;  deny  me  them 
not  before  I  die  Remove  far  from  me  vanity  and  lies; 
give  me  neither  poverty  nor  riches;  feed  me  with  food  con- 
venient for  me 

16.  The  lengths  desired  are,  as  follows 

36  ins  long 5  dozen 

48  "      "      4      " 

72  "      "      6      " 

17.  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  do  the  work  in  the  following 
order 

First,  get  out  the  roof-trusses  and  partition  in  the 
repair  house;  next,  the  columns  and  beams  in  the  office 
building;  and  then  the  structural  steel  for  the  coal 
trestles 

18.  So  it  is  with  respect  to  the  affections  of  the  soul  when 
you  have  been  angry,  you  must  know  that  not  only  has  this 
evil  befallen  you,  but  that  you  have  also  increased  the  habit, 
and  in  a  manner  thrown  fuel  upon  the  fire 

19.  All  work,  even  cotton-spinning,  is  noble;  work  is  alone 
noble     be  that  here  said  and  asserted  once  more 

20.  The  prices  that  we  are  offering  are  For  prime  chestnut 
oak  bark,  $7  per  ton  of  2240  pounds;  for  prime  hemlock  bark, 
$6  per  ton  of  2240  pounds 

21.  Be  not  deceived  evil  communications  corrupt  good 
manners 

22.  Thackeray  said  of  Addison  He  is  one  of  the  lonely  ones 
of  the  world  Such  men  have  very  few  equals,  and  they  do 
not  herd  with  those 


16  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

23.  Great  talkers  are  like  broken  pitchers  everything  runs 
out  of  them 

24.  The  new  board  of  oflBcers,  recently  elected  for  the  year 
1905-06,  is,  as  follows  President,  Mr  William  H  Sevems; 
Vice-President,  Mr  James  L  Davenport;  Secretary,  Mr 
Thomas  Wood;    Treasurer,  Mr    Robert  L    Stewart 

25.  Between  two  great  Silences 

"Stars   silent   rest  o'er  us, 
Goaves  uuder  us  silent  " 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  SEMICOLON 

1.    Members  of  «  Compound  Sentene*. 

The  semicolon  is  used  to  separate  short  members 
of  a  compound  sentence,  when  the  conjunction  is 
omitted  or  when  the  connection  is  not  close. 

The  eye  is  the  first  circle;  the  horizon  which  it  forms  is 
the  second;  and  throughout  nature  this  primary  figure  is 
repeated  without  end. 

The  semicolon  is  used  to  separate  members  of  a 
compound  sentence  which  are  subdivided  by  com- 
mas, even  when  the  members  are  joined  by  connect- 
ives. 

Books  are  the  food  of  youth,  the  delight  of  old  age;  the 
ornament  of  prosperity,  the  refuge  and  comfort  of  adversity; 
a  delight  at  home,  and  no  hindrance  abroad;  companions  by 
night,  in  traveling,  in  the  country. — Cicero. 

A  Scotch  mist  becomes  a  shower;  and  a  shower,  a  flood; 
and  a  flood,  a  storm;  and  a  storm,  a  tempest,  thunder,  and 
lightning;  and  thunder  and  lightning,  heavenquake  and 
earthquake. 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  The  interior  of  the  room  was  in  decay  black  beams 
in  the  ceiling  a  dismantled  fire-place  cobwebs  in  every 
comer  in  the  middle  a  tottering  company  of  maimed  stools 
and  tables 

(17) 


18  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

2.  Every  excess  causes  a  defect     every  defect  an  excess 
Every  sweet  hath  its  sour    everj'  e\i\  its  good 

3.  Some  men  classify  objects  by  color  and  size  and  other 
accidents  of  appearance  others  by  intrinsic  likeness,  or  by 
the  relation  of  cause  and  effect 

4.  Work  is  a  sovereign  word  in  this  world  a  word  which 
has  the  quality  of  mastei-ship  in  it  a  word  of  more  magical 
power  than  all  the  old  talismanic  words  of  necromancy 

5.  We  see  love,  hatred,  ambition,  jealousy,  envy,  greed 
the  sense  of  justice  and  idea  of  duty    pity,  goodness,  devotion, 
piety,  selfishness,  vanity,  pride,  etc 

6.  Men  cannot  foi^et  .^Esop,  or  not  use  him  bring  them 
Homer's  Iliad,  and  they  like  that  or  the  Cid,  and  that  rings 
well  read  to  them  from  Chaucer,  and  they  reckon  him  an 
honest  fellow 

7.  If  you  would  be  a  good  reader,  read    if  a  writer,  write 

8.  Now  a  guide,  when  he  has  found  a  man  out  of  the  road, 
leads  him  into  the  right  way  he  does  not  ridicule  or  abuse 
him  and  leave  him 

9.  Let  us  go  to  the  altar  of  our  country  and  swear,  as  the 
oath  was  taken  of  old,  that  we  will  stand  by  her  that  we 
will  support  her  that  we  will  uphold  her  Constitution  that 
we  will  preserve  her  Union 

10.  For  because  a  man  is  alone,  he  is  not  for  that  reason 
also  solitary  just  as,  though  a  man  is  among  nimibers,  he 
is  not  therefore  not  solitary 

11.  The  year's  crop  of  hops  will  average  in  bales,  as  fol- 
lows Washington,  36,000  Oregon,  80,000  California,  48,000 
New  York,  50,000     making  a  total  of  214,000  bales 

12.  I  can  quote  you  a  price  for  the  ledger,  as  follows  650 
pages,  with  two  accounts  or  divisions  125  pages,  three  diN-i- 
sions  225  pages,  six  divisions  bound  in  full  leather,  spring 
back,  Russia  bands,  for  $30 

13.  Genius  detects  through  the  fly,  through  the  cater- 
pillar, through  the  grub,  through  the  ^g,  the  constant  indi- 
vidual through  countless  individuals  the  fixed  species 
through  many  species  the  genus     through  all  genera  the 


THE  SEMICOLON  19 

steadfast  type     through  all  kingdoms  of  organized  life  the 
eternal  unity 

14.  If  the  good  is  there,  so  is  the  evil  if  the  affinity,  so 
the  repulsion     if  the  force,  so  the  limitation 

15.  See  how  rich  life  is  rich  in  private  talents,  each  of 
which  charms  us  in  turn  and  seems  the  best 

16.  Fragments  of  the  catalogue  have  also  been  found,  and 
show  that  the  library  contained  legal,  mathematical,  and 
geographical  treatises  historical  and  mythological  docu- 
ments poetical  compositions  works  on  astronomy  and 
astrology  religious  records  royal  proclamations  and  peti- 
tions to  kings 

17.  The  student  is  to  read  history  actively  and  not  pas- 
sively to  esteem  his  own  life  the  text,  and  books  the  com- 
mentary 

18.  The  general  prosperity  of  the  country  can  be  seen  on 
every  hand  the  farmers  were  never  so  well  off  manufac- 
turers are  far  behind  in  their  orders  mercantile  business 
is  unusually  large  while  the  railroads  are  blockaded  with 
freight  and  the  agents  are  complaining  of  a  shortage  of  freight 
cars 

19.  No  sacrifice  has  been  too  great  if  the  country  asked 
it    no  task  too  heavy,  no  duty  too  dangerous 

20.  All  his  questions  on  the  road  were  how  money  might 
be  saved  which  was  the  least  expensive  course  of  travel 
whether  anything  could  be  bought  that  would  turn  to  account 
when  disposed  of  again  in  London 

21.  Just  in  that  interval,  the  stage-coach  happening  to 
pass  by,  I  took  a  place  it  being  my  only  aim  to  be  driven 
at  a  distance  from  a  wretch  I  despised  and  detested 

22.  We  are  in  danger  of  forgetting  the  times  of  anguish 
through  which  the  world  has  passed  the  cups  of  suffering 
which  it  has  drained  the  painful  waiting  for  returning  peace 
and  prosperity  the  weariness  of  spirit  which  followed  close 
upon  long  periods  of  strain  and  grief  and  unrest 

23.  At  sea,  when  the  ship  is  in  great  peril,  the  passengers 
crowd  together    not  because  they  can  escape  peril  by  facing 


20  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

it  in  company,  but  because  they  can  gain  courage  by  com- 
panionship 

24.  The  record  of  every  noble  race  is  a  record  of  heroism 
great  deeds  shining  from  time  to  time  like  stars  in  a  night  of 
unheroic  moods  and  pursuits  splendid  achievements  redeem- 
ing periods  of  greed  and  gain 

25.  He  who  feels  no  passionate  devotion  to  his  country  will 
never  care  for  the  world  as  he  who  does  not  love  his  own 
family  will  never  love  the  conmiunity 


2.    Explanatory  Clauses. 

I  A  semicolon  should  be  placed  ^ter_^  complete 
sentence  followed  by  a  clause  denoting  contrast, 
inference,  or  explanation,  when  the  clause  is  intro- 
duced by  a  conjunction. 

There  are  men  who  can  see  only  shelter  and  provisions  in  a 
home;   but  the  cattle  find  that  in  their  stable. 

Such  words  as  as,  viz.,  for  instance,  etc.,  when  used 
to  introduce  illustrations  are  sometimes  preceded  by 
a  semicolon  and  followed  by  a  comma.  If  the 
examples  are  short  and  the  connection  close,  it  is 
better  to  use  commas  both  before  and  after  the  intro- 
ductory word. 

'  However  '  has  proper  and  elegant  use  as  an  adverb;  as, 
However  wise  one  may  be,  there  are  limits  to  his  knowl- 
edge. 

To  Greece  we  are  indebted  for  the  three  principal  orders 
of  architecture,  viz.,  the  Doric,  the  Ionic,  and  the  Corin- 
thian. 

Many  of  our  great  men,  for  instance,  Franklin,  Lincoln, 
and  Grant,  have  been  poor  in  youth. 


THE  SEMICOLON  21 

Practise  Sentences 

1 .  I  support  this  bill  because  it  will  improve  our  institu- 
tions but  I  support  it  also  because  it  tends  to  preserve 
them 

2.  All  were  in  haste  and  as  they  helped  each  other,  they 
discussed  the  possible  chances 

3.  There  are  always  two  extremes  between  which  we  have 
to  choose  and  it  is  often  difficult  to  decide  which  is  the 
starting-point,  and  which  is  the  final  goal 

4.  Among  the  best  sources  of  happiness  is  the  enjoyment 
found  in  small  things  and  among  humble  people  and  many 
a  bitter  experience  is  avoided  by  the  habit  of  an  unassum- 
ing life 

5.  He  alone  preserved  his  gravity  for  the  very  good 
reason,  that  he  understood  nothing  at  all  of  what  was  passing 
around  him 

6.  He  felt  that  the  ground  was  solid  under  his  feet  that 
was  all     but  that  was  enough 

7.  The  name  of  the  author  did  not  at  first  appear  but  it 
soon  came  to  be  known  that  the  series  was  the  product  of  a 
student  at  law,  not  yet  twenty-five  years  of  age,  the  son  of 
Isaac  Disraeli 

8.  Only  consider  at  what  price  you  sell  your  own  will  if 
for  no  other  reason,  at  least  for  this,  that  you  sell  it  not  for 
a  small  sum 

9.  Not  a  May-game  is  this  man's  life  but  a  battle  and  a 
march,  a  warfare  with  principalities  and  powers 

10.  But  high  usury  and  bad  security  generally  go  together 
and  Hastings  lost  both  interest  and  principal 

11.  Their  land  was  indeed  an  open  plain,  destitute  of 
natural  defences  but  their  veins  were  full  of  the  high  blood 
of  Afghanistan 

12.  But  God  has  introduced  man  to  be  a  spectator  of  God 
and  of  his  works  and  not  only  to  be  a  spectator  of  them,  but 
an  interpreter 

13.  You  may  send  an  amount  to  cover  the  price  of  both 


22  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

lessons  namely  $3.85      and  we  x^ill  send  you  technical  solu- 
tions of  these  lessons  by  the  next  mail 

14.  Certain  biases,  talents,  executive  skills,  are  special 
to  each  individual  but  the  high,  contemplative,  all-com- 
manding vision,  the  sense  of  right  and  wrong,  is  alike  in  all 

15.  The  heavens  were  fair  and  smiling  above  and  below 
there  were  no  signs  of  earthquake 

16.  A  man  is  relieved  and  gay  when  he  has  put  his  heart 
into  his  work  and  done  his  best  but  what  he  has  said  or  done 
otherwise  shall  give  him  no  peace 

17.  Whatever  outrages  have  happened  to  men  may  befall 
a  man  again  and  very  easily  in  a  republic,  if  there  appear 
any  signs  of  a  decay  of  religion 

18.  A  few  13  correct  idiomatic  English,  with  a  sense  dis- 
tinctively different  from  that  of  the  adjective  used  alone 
as  A  few  men  can  be  trusted  (i  e  a  small  but  appreciable 
number) 

19.  Such  was  the  patriarchal  family  in  old  times  yet  it  is 
probable  that  conditions  were  really  better  than  the  laws  and 
the  customs  would  suggest 

20.  The  eventual  force  of  that  claim  was  admitted  but  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  facts  was  necessary  before  compliance 
with  that  claim  could  be  granted 

21.  There  are  all  kinds  but  does  it  not  take  all  kinds  of 
people  to  make  a  world? 

22.  Of  course  the  conditions  of  which  I  speak  are  now 
passing  away  but  they  are  still  to  be  found  in  the  remoter 
districts 

23.  The  living  was  of  little  value  and  the  situation  of  the 
poor  clergyman,  after  the  sale  of  the  estate,  was  deplorable 

24.  Idleness  is  infinitely  more  wearisome  than  work,  and 
induces  also  much  more  nervousness  for  it  weakens  that 
power  of  resistance  which  is  the  foundation  of  health 

25.  In  company  take  care  not  to  speak  much  and  exces- 
sively about  your  own  acts  and  dangers  for  as  it  is  pleasant 
to  you  to  make  mention  of  your  own  dangers,  it  is  not  so 
pleasant  to  others  to  hear  what  has  happened  to  you 


THE  SEMICOLON  23 

3.    Short  Sentences  Related  in  Meaning. 

The  semicolon  should  be  placed  between  short 
complete  sentences  related  in  meaning  or  construc- 
tion, but  with  no  grammatical  dependence  upon  each 
other.  In  such  cases,  it  is  often  possible  to  use  a 
period,  but  the  discrimination  of  relations  would  not 
be  so  clearly  indicated. 

It  was  a  hallucination;   it  was  impossible;   it  was  not  so. 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  To  the  pure  all  things  are  pure  to  the  impure  all  things 
are  impure 

2.  As  much  virtue  as  there  is,  so  much  appears  as  much 
goodness  as  there  is,  so  much  reverence  it  commands 

3.  Men  are  now  safe  where  they  were  once  in  peril  they 
are  now  masters  where  they  were  once  servants 

4.  He  rose  to  his  feet,  hesitated  still  another  moment,  and 
listened  all  was  quiet  in  the  house  then  he  walked  straight 
ahead,  with  short  steps,  to  the  window,  of  which  he  caught 
a  glimpse 

5.  The  only  reward  of  virtue  is  virtue  the  only  way  to 
have  a  friend  is  to  be  one 

6.  He  has  sought  no  worldly  honors  he  has  been  truthful 
he  has  denied  himself  all  luxuries  he  has  lived  like  one  of 
the  ancient  sages 

7.  For  the  sword  is  hanging  from  the  sky  it  is  quivering 
it  is  about  to  fall 

8.  He  turned  his  pockets  inside  out  there  was  nothing 
in  them 

9.  Here  is  one  of  them  others  will  show  themselves 
presently 

10.  But  she  did  not  linger  at  the  mirror  she  set  about 
collecting  all  the  relics  of  her  father 


24  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

11.  I  admit  it  that  is  the  question  I  want  you  to  inquire 
into 

12.  He  trembled  a  cloud  spread  itself  over  his  eyes  his 
pulses  beat  violently  his  brain  was  in  a  whirl  he  no  longer 
saw  or  heard  anything 

13.  The  golden  age  is  behind  us  only  in  the  heathen  myths 
in  the  Christian  prophecies  it  always  lies  ahead 

14.  A  man's  real  life  always  lies  before  him  the  past  is 
valuable  only  for  what  we  can  learn  from  it 

15.  God  appointed  work  for  every  earnest  and  self-respect- 
ing soul  without  work  of  some  sort  no  man  or  woman  can 
lead  a  respectable  life  in  this  w^orld 

16.  In  youth  all  things  are  yet  to  be  achieved  nothing 
has  been  done  the  goals  are  far  distant  the  sun  is  hardly 
above  the  horizon     the  way  b  unknown 

17.  All  was  peace  and  silence  there  was  no  one  on  the  road 
a  few  stray  laborers,  of  whom  they  caught  barely  a  glimpse, 
were  on  their  way  to  their  work,  along  the  side-paths 

18.  Life,  henceforth,  appeared  to  him  to  be  full  of  interest 
men  seemed  to  him  good  and  just  he  no  longer  reproached 
anyone  in  thought 

19.  One  evening  little  Gavroche  had  had  nothing  to  eat 
he  remembered  that  he  had  not  dined  on  the  preceding  day, 
either     this  was  becoming  tiresome 

20.  If  you  will  be  in  New  York  a  day  or  two,  I  should  like 
to  see  you  in  regard  to  the  matter    if  not,  write  me  at  once 

21.  To  feel  keenly  the  perils  of  life  is  not  to  be  cowardly 
it  is  to  have  adequate  knowledge  and  sensitiveness  of  mind 

22.  It  is  idle  to  talk  about  luck,  fortune,  or  fate  these 
words  survive  from  the  childhood  of  the  race  they  have  his- 
torical interest,  but  they  have  no  moral  value  to-day 

23.  We  are  sending  you  a  socket  that  fits  into  the  cylin- 
der of  the  engine  the  question  of  the  spark-plug  design  we 
leave  entirely  to  you 

24.  You  are  their  heir     you  sit  upon  their  throne 
The  blood  and  courage  that  renowned  them 
Runs  in  your  veins 


THE  SEMICOLON  25 


25.  The  lamentable  change  is  from  the  best 
The  worst  returns  to  laughter 


4.    Clauses  having  a   Common    Dependenoa  upon 
another  Clause. 

The  semicolon  is  used  to  separate  clauses  which 
have  a  common  dependence  upon  another  clause, 
either  at  the  beginning  or  the  end  of  the  sentence. 

If  the  clause  upon  which  the  series  depends  pre- 
cedes, it  should  be  separated  from  the  first  clause  of 
the  series  by  a  comma;  if  it  comes  at  the  end  of  the 
sentence,  either  a  colon  or  a  dash  Ls  placed  after  the 
last  clause  of  the  series — the  colon,  when  the  final 
clause  merely  summarizes  or  is  in  contrast  with  what 
has  gone  before;  the  dash  when  the  series  consists 
of  rhetorical  phrases  used  cumulatively  to  enforce  a 
certain  conclusion. 

The  great  tendency  and  purpose  of  poetry  is,  to  carry  the 
mind  above  the  beaten,  dusty,  weary  walks  of  ordinary 
life;  to  lift  it  into  a  purer  element;  and  to  breathe  into  it 
more  profound  and  generous  emotion. 

The  poorest  artisan  in  Rome,  walking  in  Csesar's  gardens, 
had  the  same  pleasures  which  they  ministered  to  their  lord; 
and  although,  it  may  be,  he  was  put  to  gather  fruits  to  eat 
from  another  place,  yet  his  other  senses  were  delighted 
equally  with  Caesar's:  the  birds  made  him  as  good  music, 
the  flowers  gave  him  as  sweet  smells,  the  air  was  as  good, 
and  the  beauty  and  order  of  the  place  as  delightful. 

The  great  golden  elms  that  marked  the  line  of  the  village 
street,  and  under  whose  shadows  no  beggars  sat;  the  air  of 
comfort  and  plenty,  of  neatness,  thrift,  and  equality,  visible 
everywhere;    and   from  far-off  farms  the  sound  of  flails. 


26  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

beating  the  triumphal  march  of  Ceres  through  the  land — 
these  were  the  sights  and  sounds  that  greeted  him  as  he 
looked. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  There  is  in  America  a  general  conviction  in  the  minds 
of  all  mature  men  that  every  young  man  of  good  faculty 
and  good  habits  can  by  perseverance  attain  to  an  adequate 
estate  if  he  have  a  turn  for  business,  and  a  quick  eye  for 
the  opportunities  which  are  always  offering  for  investment, 
he  can  come  to  wealth,  and  in  such  good  season  as  to  enjoy 
as  well  as  transmit  it 

2.  The  aflfections  which  spread  beyond  ourselves,  and 
stretch  far  into  futurity  the  workings  of  mighty  passions, 
which  seem  to  arm  the  soul  with  an  almost  superhuman 
energy  the  innocent  and  irrepressible  joy  of  infancy  the 
bloom  and  buoyancy  and  dazzling  hopes  of  youth  the 
throbbings  of  the  heart  when  it  first  wakes  to  love,  and  dreams 
of  a  happiness  too  vast  for  earth    these  are  all  poetical 

3.  I  know  how  steep  the  contrast  of  condition  looks  such 
excess  here  and  such  destitution  there  like  entire  chance, 
like  the  freaks  of  the  wind,  heaping  the  snow-drift  in  gorges, 
stripping  the  plain  such  despotism  of  wealth  and  comfort 
in  banquet  halls,  whilst  death  is  in  the  post  of  the  wretched 
that  it  behooves  a  good  man  to  walk  with  tenderness  and  heed 
amidst  so  much  suffering 

4.  Whilst  thus  the  world  exists  for  the  mind  whilst  thus 
the  man  is  ever  invited  inward  into  shining  realms  of  know- 
ledge and  power  by  the  shows  of  the  world,  which  interpret 
to  him  the  infinitude  of  his  own  consciousness  it  becomes 
the  office  of  a  just  education  to  awaken  him  to  a  kno^edge 
of  this  fact 

5.  A  philosophy  which  sees  only  the  worst  believes 
neither  in  virtue  nor  in  genius  which  says  't  is  all  of  no 
use,  life  is  eating  us  up,  't  is  only  a  question  of  who  shall 
be  last  devoured    dispirits  us 


THE  SEMICOLON  27 

GENERAL  PRACTISE 

1.  Blessed  is  he  who  has  found  his  work  let  him  ask  no 
other  blessedness 

2.  I  have  done  my  best  and  I  again  ask  you  what  you 
have  to  propose 

3.  You  have  never  flinched,  that  I  know  of  and  I  shall 
always  rejoice  to  hear  of  your  prosperity 

4.  Not  a  difficulty  but  can  transfigure  itself  into  a  triumph 
not  even  a  deformity  but,  if  our  own  souls  have  imprinted 
worth  on  it,  will  grow  dear  to  us 

5.  To  spend  too  much  time  in  studies,  is  sloth  to  use  them 
too  much  for  ornament,  is  affectation  to  make  judgment 
wholly  by  their  rules,  is  the  humor  of  the  scholar 

6.  Men  say  that  time  is  money,  but  it  is  more  it  is  life 
Itself,  for  that  is  the  stuff  life  is  made  of 

7.  He  became  a  general    he  became  a  sovereign 

8.  He  was  now  in  extreme  old  age  but  his  intellect  was 
as  clear,  and  his  spirit  as  high,  as  in  the  prime  of  man- 
hood 

9.  It  is  every  day  in  the  power  of  a  mischievous  person 
to  inflict  innumerable  annoyances  it  is  every  day  in  the  power 
of  an  amiable  person  to  confer  little  services 

10.  Generally,  then,  if  you  would  make  anything  a  habit, 
do  it  if  you  would  not  make  it  a  habit,  do  not  do  it,  but 
accustom  yourself  to  do  something  else  in  place  of  it 

11.  He  spoke  of  the  danger  of  disappointing  the  expecta- 
tions of  the  nation  and  for  this  he  was  charged  with  threaten- 
ing the  house 

12.  Believe  it  not  it  is  incredible  the  whole  universe 
contradicts  it 

13.  Enter  our  gates  dispose  of  us  and  ours  for  we  no 
longer  are  defensible 

14.  But  his  health  had  suffered  from  confinement  his 
high  spirit  had  been  cruelly  wounded  and  soon  after  his 
liberation  he  died  of  a  broken  heart 

15.  Hastings'  opinions  on  domestic  affairs  separated  him 


28  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

from  the  Ministry     his  opinions  on  colonial  affairs,  from  the 
Opposition 

16.  Socrates  the  Indian  teachers  of  the  Maia  the  Bibles 
of  the  nations  Shakespeare,  Milton,  Hafiz,  Ossiau,  the 
Welsh  bards  these  all  deal  with  nature  and  history  as 
means  and  symbols,  and  not  as  ends 

17.  A  reign  of  terror  began,  of  terror  heightened  by 
mystery  for  even  that  which  was  endured  was  less  horrible 
than  that  which  was  anticipated 

18.  We  could  not  undertake  to  fit  such  a  brake  to  the 
machine  as  a  matter  of  fact,  we  should  rather  not  accept  the 
order  at  all 

19.  Every  letter  goes  to  some  interested  party  there's 
no  random  firing     no  waste  of  circulation 

20.  The  price  of  jet,  reflector,  and  stand,  without  the  hood, 
is  five  dollars  the  prices  of  the  generators  are  as  listed  in 
the  circular 

21.  The  new  board  of  officers  is,  as  follows  Mr  George 
Walworth,  President  Mr  William  Cole,  Vice-President  Mr 
James  Logan,  Secretary    Mr  Richard  Brown,  Treasurer 

22.  Anxiety  again  took  possession  of  all  souls  the  man 
had  not  risen  to  the  surface  he  had  disappeared  in  the  sea, 
without  leaving  a  ripple 

23.  As  life  goes  on,  fate  grows  less  and  less,  character  grows 
more  and  more  the  fields  become  more  completely  our  own, 
and  yield  nothing  which  we  have  not  sown 

24.  The  delight  in  good  company,  in  pure,  brilliant,  social 
atmosphere  the  incomparable  satisfaction  of  a  society  in 
which  everything  can  be  safely  said,  in  which  every  member 
returns  a  true  echo,  in  which  a  wise  freedom,  an  ideal  republic 
of  sense,  simplicity,  knowledge,  and  thorough  good-meaning 
abide    doubles  the  value  of  life 

25.  The  poet  admires  the  man  of  energy  and  tactics  the 
merchant  breeds  his  son  for  the  church  or  the  bar  and  where 
a  man  is  not  vain  and  egotistic,  you  shall  find  what  he  has 
not  by  his  praise 

26.  But  the  darkness  which  surrounds  men  at  times  is 


THE  SEMICOLON  29 

often  more  apparent  than  real  it  is  a  gloom  which  comes 
from  an  earth-born  fog,  and  not  from  the  extinction  of  the 
sun  in  the  heavens 

27.  It  is  easy  in  the  world  to  live  after  the  world's  opinion 
it  is  easy  in  solitude  to  live  after  our  own  but  the  great  man 
is  he  who  in  the  midst  of  the  crowd  keeps  with  perfect  sweet- 
ness the  independence  of  solitude 

28.  There  roses  bloomed,  and  jasmine,  and  all  "sweet 
things"  the  nightingale's  voice  was  ever  sounding  its  strange 
sad  note,  and  fountains  flashed  a  pleasant  welcome  to  those 
who,  winding  up  the  steep,  approached  the  lofty  gates  of  the 
citadel 

29.  It  must  be  so    for  miracles  are  ceased 

And  therefore  we  must  needs  admit  the  means 
How  things  are  perfected 

30.  His    task    shall    be    to    obliterate    and    soothe 
To  bind,  not  break     to  mingle,  not  to  mar 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  COMMA 

1.    Words,  Phrases,  or  Clauses  in  a  Series. 

a.  When  more  than  two  words  of  the  same  part 
of  speech,  or  more  than  two  phrases  or  clauses,  form 
a  series,  a  conmia  should  be  placed  after  each  word, 
phrase,  or  clause  except  the  last. 
/  When  the  last  two  words  or  phrases  are  connected 
by  a  conjunction,  a  comma  ^ould  be  placed  before 
the  conjunction. 

Alfred  the  Great  was  a  brave,  pious,  and  patriotic  prince. 
No  human  being  is  independent  of  his  ancestry,  his  race,  or 
his  age. 
The  Bishop  took  his  staff,  put  on  his  cloak,  and  set  out. 


1.  The  room  was  small  low  and  vaulted 

2.  There  were  monks  in  black  brown  and  white 

3.  A  great  deal  of  the  wheat  is  warm  very  damp  damaged 
and  musty 

4.  We  are  prepared  to  make  to  your  order,  in  the  best 
manner,  tailored  suits  coats  ulsters  capes  and  riding-habits 

5.  May  we  send  you  a  sample  for  trial  prepaid  and  with 
our  compliments? 

6.  In  most  lines  of  trade,  personal  letters  bring  hold  and 
increase   business 

7.  He  gave  a  jerk  tried  a  crook  of  the  knee  twisted  his 
limbs  desperately  and  made  efforts  to  escape 

(30) 


THE  COMMA  81 

8.  She  mounted  rapidly  to  her  own  chamber  opened  a 
small  wicket  in  the  shutter  and  looked  out 

9.  He  was  deservedly  popular,  for  he  was  liberal  to  the 
poor  generous  to  all  kind  and  gentle  in  his  manners  but 
inexorably  just  when  occasion  demanded 

10.  But  the  king  at  last  consented  to  pay  tribute  to  give 
up  some  cities  which  he  held  and  not  to  make  any  further 
efforts  against  the  caliph 


h.  If  the  conjunction  is  omitted  between  the  last 
two  words  or  phrases,  a  comma  should  be  placed 
after  each  word  or  phrase  in  the  series,  unless  the  last 
word  or  phrase  is  followed  by  a  single  word  or  is  very 
closely  connected  with  the  remainder  of  the  sentence, 
or  the  series  occurs  at  the  end  of  a  sentence. 

Ease,  indulgence,  luxury,  sloth,  are  the  sources  of  misery. 
He  looked  upon  the  world  as  a  glad,  bright,  glorious  worid. 
The  man  held  his  peace,  the  woman  spoke  no  word,  the 
young  girl  did  not  even  seem  to  breathe. 


1.  Flatterers  cringers  crawlers  time-servers  are  dangerous 
citizens  of  a  democracy 

2.  Courage  independence  veracity  are  qualities  essential 
to  real  success  in  life 

3.  The  Celts  the  Greeks  the  Phoenicians  the  Carthaginians 
by  turns  or  simultaneously,  drove  the  native  Iberians  from 
their  rightful  homes 

4.  In  talents  for  business  in  knowledge  of  the  country  in 
general  courtesy  of  demeanor  he  was  decidedly  superior  to 
his  persecutors 

5.  Doing  for  others  bearing  the  burdens  of  others  identi- 
fying ourselves  with  the  struggles  and  labors  of  others  help 
mightily  in  the  working  out  of  our  own  lives 


32  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

6.  PVanklin  was  not  only  a  printer,  but  a  philosopher 
statesman  diplomat  author 

7.  Mile   S   was  a  long  pale  thin  gentle  creature 

8.  A  tall  thin  pale  light-complexioned  man  now  came 
forward 

9.  It  has  been  said  of  this  king,  that  in  all  his  wars  he 
was  victorious  all  rebellions  he  crushed  all  conspiracies  he 
discovered 

10.  Men  begin,  as  in  1776  and  1640,  to  discuss  principles 
to  weigh  characters  to  find  out  where  they  are 

c.  Two  words,  phrases,  or  clauses  connected  by 
a  conjunction  do  not  require  a  comma,  unless  the  con- 
juction  is  decidedly  disjunctive. 

The  counsels  of  a  wise  and  faithful  friend  are  not  to  be 
despised. 

The  vain  are  easily  obliged,  and  easily  disobliged. 

1.  The  names  of  Clay  and  Webster  have  become  house- 
hold words 

2.  There  reigned  profound  peace  and  absolute  silence 

3.  He  could  write  and  write  well 

4.  The  messenger  will  go  and  go  to-morrow 

5.  Most  people  are  slaves  of  habit  and  followers  of  custom 

6.  Personal  letters  bring  and  hold  business 

7.  Manhood  and  womanhood  overtop  position  and  wealth 

8.  That  should  be  done  and  done  at  once 

9.  The  brilliant  and  patient  Latin  race  beguiled  the 
tedium  of  waiting  with  good-humored  chafif 

10.  The  bills  for  rent  and  taxes  must  be  paid  either  to-day 
or  to-morrow 


d.  If   the    conjunction   is   omitted   between   two 
words  of  the  same  part  of  speech  and  in  the  same 


THE  COMMA  33 

grammatical  construction,  the  words  should  be 
separated  by  a  comma.  Commas  should  be  used 
also  after  words  repeated  for  the  sake  oi  emphasis. 

We  are  fearfully,  wonderfully  made. 
There,  there,  that  will  do. 


1.  On  a  bright  beautiful  morning,  land  was  discerned 

2.  He  was  a  great  idle  force 

3.  The  outward  material   world  is  the  shadow  of  the 
spiritual 

4.  Slowly  steadily,  the  tide  was  rising 

5.  With  trumpets  blowing  with  banners  flying,  the  men 
came  dashing  on 

6.  Well  well  we  will  not  quarrel  over  it 

7.  I  I  alone  have  brought  this  vengeance  down 

8.  Well,  then,  very  good  very  good ! 

9.  Alone  alone,  all  all  alone 
10.  To  thee  I  pray,  thee  thee. 

With  cries  beseeching 


e.  When  adjectives  which  precede  the  object 
qualify  other  words  as  well  as  the  object,  commas 
should  not  be  used. 

A  black  velvet  cap  surmounted  his  drooping  white  hair. 


1.  The  blind  old  father  sat  with  head  uplifted 

2.  He  wore  a  soft  black  felt  hat 

3.  So  we  watched  through  the  long  cruel  winter  days 

4.  She  wore  a  cloak  of  coarse  brown  woolen  stuff 

5.  The  blue    drapery    was    adorned    with    well-stitched 
yellow  lilies 

6.  The  order  was  given  for  a  blue  cloth  squirrel-lined  coat 


34  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

7.  She  lifted  from  the  blue  silk  cushions  a  half-clipped 
black  poodle 

8.  The  g^e  seemed  to  have  more  meaning  in  it  than  the 
ordinary  passing  observation  of  a  stranger 

9.  A  shabby  single-horse  hackney  carriage  had  just  come 
into  the  square 

10.  With  each  group  walked  a  rustic  clerical  guide,  wearing 
the  broad  violet  waist-band  over  his  black  cassock 


/.  If  one  of  a  series  of  words  connected  by  con- 
junctions is  qualified  by  a  word  or  phrase  which  does 
not  qualify  the  others,  the  word  or  phrase  thus  qual- 
ified should  be  set  off  by  a  comma.  If  such  a 
qualified  word  occurs  at  the  end  of  the  sentence, 
the  comma  is  placed  before  the  conjunction. 

The  women  wore  straw  hats,  and  gay  calico  gowns  with 
short  waists  and  scant  folds 

1.  There  was  music  of  flutes  and  drums  and  dancing 

2.  He  wore  a  scarlet  coat  and  a  hat  with  a  broad  yellow 
band 

3.  The  men  wear  blue  coats  and  hats  with  broad  brims 

4.  An  order  was  sent  for  six  chairs  and  three  tables  with 
marble  tops 

5.  The  men  wore  long  boots  and  frock-coats 

6.  The  men  wore  boots  and  frock-coats  with  gay  metal 
buttons 

7.  The  only  persons  he  saw  were  a  man  and  a  little  girl 
dancing  to  the  sound  of  the  music 

8.  Please  send  at  two  o'clock  a  horse  and  a  carriage  with 
blue  cushions 

9.  He  seemed  to  be  quietly  muttering  and  looking  around 
10.  We  take  pleasure  in  sending  you  three  more  photo- 
graphs and  price-lists  just  issued 


s-y- 


THE  COMMA  36 

g.  Words  or  phrases  used  in  pairs,  connected  by 
conjunctions  or  other  particles,  require  a  comma 
after  each  pair,  except  the  pair  that  ends  a  sentence. 

The  wise  and  the  foolish,  the  weak  and  the  strong,  the 
young  and  the  old,  have  one  common  Father. 

1.  Pope  and  monk  prince  and  peasant  thanked  Heaven 
for  so  signal  a  victory 

2.  Credit  real  estate  and  improvements  furniture  and  fix- 
tures 

3.  Cause  and  effect  means  and  end  seed  and  fruit  cannot 
be  severed 

4.  Life  is  august  and  beautiful  or  squalid  and  mean  as 
we  interpret  and  use  it 

5.  We  try  to  explain  the  charm  which  the  book  possesses 
for  high  and  low  rich  and  poor  learned  and  simple 

6.  Beauty  and  ugliness  virtue  and  vice  are  all  alike  to  the 
last  Destroyer 

7.  All  were  there,  all  languages  all  peoples  all  ages  the 
East  and  the  West  the  past  and  the  presect 

8.  But  the  benefit  we  receive  must  be  rendered  again, 
line  for  line  deed  for  deed  cent  for  cent  to  somebody 

9.  But  we  happen  to  live  in  the  world — the  world  made 
up  of  thought  and  impulse  of  self-conceit  and  self-interest 
of  weak  men  and  wicked 

10.  Youth  and  age  love  and  hate  charity  and  greed  wealth 
and  poverty  humor  and  pathos  p>ower  and  weakness  mirth 
and  grief  craft  and  simplicity  selfishness  and  self-sacrifice  the 
material  and  the  spiritual  are  all  portrayed  in  the  great  work 
of  Cervantes 


h.  In  a  series  of  words  of  the  same  part  of  speech, 
or  in  a  series  of  short  phrases,  connected  by  conjunc- 
tions, no  comma  is  necessarJ^    Words  and  phrases 


36  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

connected  by  conjunctions  are,  however,  sometimes 
set  off  by  commas,  to  show  contrast  or  to  indicate  a 
rhetoric  pause. 

All  that  charms  the  eye  or  the  ear  or  the  imagination  or 
the  heart  is  the  gift  of  God. 

Many  a  man  does  not  hesitate  to  lay  down  his  life  for  the 
sake  of  a  truth,  or  in  the  service  of  his  country,  or  to  save 
his  son  or  his  friend 


1.  Does  freedom  seem  to  you  to  be  something  great  and 
noble  and  valuable? 

2.  It  is  as  easy  to  cultivate  cheerfulness  as  to  cultivate 
patience  or  good  temper  or  courtesy 

3.  In  companies  of  eight  and  ten,  came  the  students  of 
the  papal  colleges,  in  sashes  of  red  and  blue  and  green 

4.  He  is  fair  and  strong  and  bright 

5.  The  boy  has  been  docile  and  pliable  and  quick  of 
apprehension 

6.  It  was  all  plume  and  banner  and  silken  pageantry 

7.  We  will  give  you  all  the  advice  and  assistance  and 
8i>ecific  information  that  you  desire 

8.  Every  one  knows  what  are  the  effects  of  music  to  put 
people  in  gay  or  mournful  or  martial  mood 

9.  What  shall  disturb  my  mind  or  distract  me  or  appear 
painful? 

10.  Here  is  bread  and  wealth  and  power  and  education 
for  every  man  who  has  the  heart  to  use  his  opportunity 


2.    Words  or  Phrases  in  Contrast.    Contrasted  and 
Explanatory  Clauses.    Correlative  Clauses. 

The  comma  should  be  used  to  separate  words  or 
phrases   contrasted  with  each  other.    A  statement 


THE  COMMA  37 

which  is  complete  in  itself  is  separated  by  a  comma 
from  a  contrasted  or  explanatory  clause  which  fol- 
lows it. 

Truth  is  not  a  stagnant  pool,  but  a  fountain. 
The  first  part  of  Don  Quixote  gave  to  its  author  fame,  but 
very  little  pecuniary  profit. 

Life  only  avails,  not  the  having  lived. 


Correlative  clauses  are  separated  by  a  comma. 
When  the  clauses  are  joined  by  as  or  thauj  the  comma 
is  generally  omitted. 

The  sooner  you  send  us  the  order,  the  better  work  we  shall 
be  able  to  do  for  you. 
No  one  is  so  much  alone  in  the  universe  as  a  denier  of  God. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  The  struggle  on  the  summit  was  terrible  but  short 

2.  He  might  be  mad  but  he  was  harmless 

3.  This  is  not  the  tone  of  madness  but  of  health 

4.  We  may  admire  a  man  of  learning  but  we  trust  only 
those  with  character 

5.  Reputation  is  what  the  world  believes  a  man  to  be  but 
character  is  what  he  really  is 

6.  We  are  selling  our  pianos  direct  from  our  factory  and 
not  through  agents  or  dealers 

7.  This  offer  is  confidential  and  is  subject  to  withdrawal 
if  not  promptly  accepted 

8.  Our  bills  are  rendered  on  the  first  of  the  month  and 
settlements  are  exp>ected  promptly 

9.  We  want  your  advertisement  principally  for  the  money 
that  it  will  bring  us  but  also  because  we  believe  that  it  will 
pay  you  well 


38  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

10.  Life  is  not  given  to  man  to  enjoy  but,  so  far  as  may  be, 
to  use  effectively 

11.  What  I  must  do  is  all  that  concerns  me  not  what  the 
people  think 

12.  Many  a  man  has  made  millions  but  has  lost  his  right  to 
be  respected 

13.  One  man  shapes  his  life  by  fear  and  another  by  courage 

14.  The  range  of  subjects  is  wide  but  all  the  scenes  are  from 
contemporary  life 

15.  Then  he  looked  at  the  Seine  at  his  feet  and  felt  a  horrible 
temptation 

16.  A  man  might  talk  a  week  on  this  subject  and  then  not 
exhaust  it 

17.  The  next  room  was  still  larger  but  it  was  also  much 
more  crowded 

18.  The  ship  on  the  stocks  is  built  for  storms  not  for  fair 
weather 

19.  Do  not  spend  more  time  in  bed  than  is  required  for  sleep 

20.  There  is  guidance  for  each  of  us  and  by  lowly  listening 
we  shall  hear  the  right  word 

21.  His  experience  had  taught  him  that  in  this  world 
nothing  is  utterly  bad  and  nothing  is  thoroughly  good 

22.  Men  are  never  so  easily  deceived  as  when  they  plot  to 
deceive 

23.  The  Roman  forum  is  well-ni^  gone  but  Roman  law 
survives  in  all  its  beauty  and  in  all  its  beneficence 

24.  The  heart  of  man  has  overflowed  in  song  in  art  in  noble 
devotions  of  word  and  deed  but  the  heart  of  man  is  still  an 
unplumbed  sea 

25.  He  loves  me  most  who  helps  me  to  do  and  to  be  the 
best  and  the  greatest  in  any  human  relation  not  he  who  says 
the  most  comforting  things  to  me  when  death  has  interrupted 
that  relation 


1.  The  sooner  you  put  your  eggs  in  storage  the  better  it 
will  be  for  your  interests 


THE  COMMA  39 

2.  The  richer  the  story  is  the  more  it  can  reveal  the  poorer 
the  story  the  less  it  can  reveal 

3.  The  farther  a  man  advances  in  the  doing  of  his  duty 
so  much  the  more  his  conscience  and  perception  grow 
refined 

4.  The  more  I  study  this  measure  the  more  strongly  I  am 
convinced  of  its  practical  utility 

5.  The  longer  you  put  off  a  disagreeable  duty  the  more 
difficult  it  becomes 

6.  The  sooner  the  work  is  started  the  sooner  profits  will 
be  realized 

7.  The  more  falls  a  hero  gets  the  faster  he  moves  on 

8.  The  finer  the  sense  of  justice  the  better  poet 

9.  As  cold  waters  to  a  thirsty  soul  so  is  good  news  from 
a  far  country 

10.  No  man  is  so  blind  as  he  who  will  not  see 


3.    Transposed  Words,  Phrases,  or  Clauses. 

a.  A  word,  phrase,  or  clause  at  the  beginning  of 
a  sentence  which  could  be  placed  either  at  the  end 
or  in  some  other  part  of  the  sentence  without 
destroying  its  meaning,  should  be  followed  by  a 
comma. 

Like  flakes  of  snow  that  fall  unperceived  upon  the 
earth,  the  seemingly  unimportant  events  of  life  succeed  one 
another. 


h.  When  an  introductory  phrase  or  clause  is 
very  short  the  comma  is  not  used,  unless  needed  to 
make  the  meaning  clear. 

In  America  printing  began  in  the  city  of  Mexico. 


40  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

In  reference  to  time,  hours  and  days  are  of  great  impor- 
tance;  in  respect  to  eternity,  years  and  ages  are  nothing. 


c.  Adverbs  or  adverbial  phrases  which  modify 
clauses  or  sentences,  should  be  separated  from  the 
rest  of  the  sentence  by  a  comma.  If  the  adverb 
forms  an  essential  part  of  the  clause  and  could 
not  be  omitted  without  destroying  its  meaning,  a 
comma  should  not  be  used.  In  short  sentences  the 
comma  is  not  needed. 

Next,  we  know  that  parties  must  ever  exist  in  a  free  country. 

However,  this  may  be. 

However  this  may  be. 

Have  the  carriage  ready  by  ten  o'clock. 

d.  Such  clauses  as  It  is  said.  We  are  told,  etc., 
when  used  to  introduce  several  statements,  each  pre- 
ceded by  the  word  that,  should  be  separated  from  the 
rest  of  the  sentence  by  a  comma.  If  there  is  but  one 
proposition  the  comma  should  not  be  used. 

Philosophers  assert,  that  Nature  is  unlimited  in  her  opera- 
tions, that  she  has  inexhaustible  treasures  in  reserve,  that 
knowledge  will  always  be  progressive,  and  that  all  future 
generations  will  continue  to  make  discoveries  of  which  we 
have  not  the  slightest  idea. 

We  are  told  that  matter  is  indestructible. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  If  you  will  kindly  favor  us  with  a  check  by  return  mail 
the  remittance  will  be  appreciated 


THE  COMMA  41 

2.  As  you  desire  envelopes  of  a  special  size  they  will  have 
to  be  made  for  you  and  it  will  be  two  or  three  days  before  we 
can  forward  them 

3.  If  you  cannot  use  the  goods  at  this  price  kindly  return 
them  to  us  and  we  will  credit  your  account 

4.  In  looking  over  our  list  of  customers  we  notice  that  we 
have  not  the  pleasure  of  numbering  you  among  them 

5.  Should  you  conclude  to  visit  us  please  notify  us  at  once 
and  we  will  reserve  for  you  good  rooms 

6.  When  you  seek  what  is  not  your  own  you  lose  that 
which  is  your  own 

7.  On  the  occasion  of  every  action  that  befalls  you 
remember  to  turn  to  yourself  and  inquire  what  power  you 
have  for  turning  it  to  use 

8.  When  a  man  suddenly  discloses  a  power  the  presence 
of  which  he  did  not  suspect  he  is  simply  putting  forth  what 
was  always  in  him 

9.  That  which  each  can  do  best  none  but  his  Maker  can 
teach  him 

10.  In  addition  to  numerous  occasional  pieces  Cervantes 
wrote  during  middle  age  thirty  dramas 

11.  In  the  presence  of  death  a  good  man  judges  as  he 
would  be  judged 

12.  What  a  man  applies  himself  to  earnestly  that  he 
naturally  loves 

13.  If  we  believed  more  in  our  own  resources  we  should 
make  more  out  of  our  lives 

14.  At  the  entrance  to  the  garden  there  were  crowds  of 
carriages  sleighs  hired  drivers  policemen 

15.  I  am,  dear  Sir 

Faithfully  yours 

16.  I  am 

Yours  truly 

17.  Awaiting  a  reply  we  remain 

Yours  truly 

18.  Trusting  to  be  favored  with  your  order  we  remain 

Yours  very  truly 


42  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

19.  On  one  occasion  he  brought  a  false  chaise  agaiust 
another  Hindoo 

20.  If  you  would  not  be  known  to  do  anything  never  do  it 

21.  In  this  world  nothing  is  immortal  but  truth 

22.  Who  cover  faults  at  last  shame  them  derides 

23.  When  I  wrote  to  you  before  I  was  under  the  impression 
that  you  had  already  received  the  consignment 

24.  In  the  year  1620  the  Pilgrims  landed  at  Plymouth 

25.  To  the  thoughtless  wealth  stands  for  ease  and  pleasure 
but  the  vast  majority  of  those  who  possess  it  find  it  full  of 
work  and  care 


1.  Happily  some  one  came  forward  to  extricate  him 

2.  Finally  let  me  repeat  what  I  stated  at  the  beginning  of 
the  lecture 

3.  In  the  first  place  I  should  like  to  have  a  general  idea 
of  the  subject 

4.  Nevertheless  to  understand  it  better  has  become  a 
matter  of  importance 

5.  Thus  for  real  happiness  the  outward  issue  of  events 
may  come  to  have  no  real  importance 

6.  Further  all  that  is  really  excellent  has  a  small  ban- 
ning 

7.  However  he  did  not  utter  a  word 

8.  However  this  may  be  it  is  at  least  certain  that  we  are 
approaching  a  period  marked  by  a  return  to  nature 

9.  Well  between  ourselves  I  think  we  have  made  an  ex- 
cellent day's  work  of  it 

10.  Besides  it  may  be  of  great  advantage  to  you 

11.  Besides  all  that  the  tale  is  true 

12.  At  least  you  might  have  given  him  a  trial 

13.  No  that  will  not  do 

14.  Yes  I  have  heard  of  the  matter 

15.  Why  you  told  me  that  yesterday 

16.  At  any  rate  he  seems  to  have  had  no  difficulty  in  finding 
a  publisher  for  his  works 


THE  COMMA  43 

17.  At  it  was  the  Goths  pressed  the  Moors  severely 

18.  If  you  are  willing  to  make  a  reduction  for  this  damage 
I  will  accept  the  goods  otherwise  they  will  be  returned  to 
you 

19.  Indeed  the  measure  is  most  arbitrary 

20.  The  measure  is  indeed  arbitrary 

21.  Then  shall  I  know  even  as  I  am  known 

22.  However  contrary  to  our  own  opinions  we  must  respect 
the  honest  opinions  of  others 

23.  As  we  have  said  the  house  in  which  he  lived  consisted 
of  a  ground  floor,  and  one  story  above  three  rooms  on  the 
ground  floor  three  chambers  on  the  first  and  an  attic  above 

24.  There  is  in  America  a  general  conviction  in  the  minds 
of  all  mature  men  "that  every  young  man  of  good  faculty 
and  good  habits  can  by  perseverance  attain  to  an  adequate 
estate  that  if  he  have  a  turn  for  business  and  a  quick  eye 
for  the  opportunities  which  are  always  offering  for  invest- 
ment he  can  come  to  wealth  and  in  such  good  season  as  to 
enjoy  as  well  as  transmit  it. 

25.  Roscoe  Conkling  uttered  the  splendid  truth  that  the 
higher  obligations  among  men  are  not  set  down  in  writing, 
signed  and  sealed,  but  reside  in  honor 


4.    Parenthetical  Worde,  Phrases,  or  Clauses. 

A  word,  phrase,  or  clause  introduced  loosely  into 
a  sentence  and  which  could  be  omitted  without 
destroying  the  meaning,  is  generally  preceded  and 
followed  by  a  comma. 

It  is  mind,  after  all,  which  does  the  work  of  the  world. 

Faithful  work,  however,  is  not  to  be  brought  about  by 
compulsion 

So  addicted  were  they  to  war  that,  when  they  had  no  foes 
to  contend  with,  they  fought  with  one  another 


44  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

TTien,  now,  too,  also,  however,  therefore,  conse- 
quently, accordingly,  viz.,  namely,  etc.,  are  often  used 
parenthetically.  Many  writers  omit  the  commas 
before  and  after  such  small  parenthetical  words  as 
then,  too,  also,  indeed,  etc.:  this  also  is  desirable; 
that  indeed  is  a  wise  measure.  When  any  one  of 
these  words  is  used  to  modify  a  single  word, .  it 
should  not  be  separated  from  the  word  which  it 
modifies:  Then  I  trusted  him;  now  I  do  not.  The 
people  are  too  credulous. 

When  a  clause  Is  introduced  between  two  impor- 
tant parts  of  a  sentence  and  is  essential  to  its  full 
meaning,  or  when  a  clause  is  thrown  out  of  its  normal 
place,  it  should  be  separated  from  the  rest  of  the 
sentence  by  commas. 

The  little  that  is  known,  and  the  circumstance  that  little 
is  known,  must  be  considered  as  honorable  to  him. 
Let  us,  for  argument's  sake,  assume  this. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  You  will  I  hope  load  all  these   cars   carefully  and 

promptly 

2.  You  imderstand  of  course  that  it  is  impossible  to  keep 
coal  entirely  free  from  slate 

3.  As  the  machine  is  equipped  only  for  dry  roasting  it 
is  not  capable  of  as  good  results  to  the  eye  at  least  on  the  lower 
grades  of  coffee 

4.  If  a  large  order  for  one  pattern  were  to  be  placed 
thereby  cheapening  the  cost  of  production  we  could  no  doubt 
give  you  some  slight  advantage 

5.  Our  dealings  in  the  past  so  far  as  I  know  have  been 
thoroughly  satisfactory 


THE  COMMA  45 

6.  Failure  in  business  like  failure  in  everything  else 
springs  from  shift  lessness  inattention  luxurious  habits  and 
a  desire  to  make  money  too  rapidly 

7.  Greece  has  given  us  three  great  historians  namely 
Herodotus  Xenophon  and  Thucydides 

8.  Truth  wherever  it  may  be  sought  is  as  a  rule  so  simple 
that  it  often  does  not  look  learned  enough 

9.  And  yet  it  is  also  true  as  experience  teaches  that  in  our 
misfortunes  as  in  our  enjoyments  imagination  greatly  outruns 
reality 

10.  The  desire  for  work  we  must  first  of  all  admit  cannot  be 
attained  by  instruction 

11.  Ivan  so  our  authority  informs  us  did  not  object  to  play- 
ing the  buffoon  at  his  own  Court 

12.  In  the  fields  branches  of  trees  broken  by  grape-shot 
but  not  fallen  upheld  by  their  bark  swayed  gently  in  the 
breeze  of  night 

13.  Abdallah  was  one  of  those  ruling  minds  which  for- 
tunately for  the  peace  of  society  nature  seldom  produces 

14.  Marius  dreamer  as  he  was  was  as  we  have  said  firm 
and  energetic  by  nature 

15.  Certain  thoughts  are  prayers  There  are  moments 
when  whatever  the  attitude  of  the  body  may  be  the  soul  is 
on  its  knees 

16.  Issuing  secret  orders  therefore  in  all  directions  he  dis- 
mantled most  of  the  cities 

17.  No  wonder  then  that  his  steps  took  the  same  course 
that  evening 

18.  Here  too  the  peasant  dress  was  conspicuous. — The 
soldier  went  too 

19.  We  would  suggest  that  in  the  meantime  you  prepare 
your  copy 

20.  The  first  things  and  the  most  necessary  are  those 
which  I  have  named 

21.  The  explanation  rather  long  indeed  and  rather  dry  was 
simple 

22.  The  plodding  painstaking  persevering  honest  man  of 


46  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

common  sense  will  accomplish  more  in  this  world  and  is  of 
more  use  in  it  than  the  erratic  genius 

23.  Time  and  patience  with  the  greatest  prudence  were 
necessary  for  the  success  of  his  project 

24.  Marius  who  had  no  reason  to  be  on  his  guard  and  who 
was  engaged  in  thought  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  perceived 
nothing 

25.  Some  men  distinguish  the  period  of  the  world  into  four 
ages  viz  the  golden  age  the  silver  age  the  bronze  age  and 
the  iron  age 

26.  The  institution  graduates  the  candidate  i  e  admits 
him  to  a  d^ree  or  marks  him  with  a  d^ree  at  the  end  of  a 
course  of  instruction 

27.  The  country  was  governed  at  first  by  viceroys  called 
emirs  sent  from  the  caliphate  at  Damascus 

28.  The  boy  whistling  merrily  continued  down  the  street 

29.  There  in  fact  sat  two  men  flat  on  the  snow  with  their 
backs  against  the  wall  talking  together  in  subdued  tones 

30.  He  was  not  easily  astonished  Still  master  of  himself 
though  he  was  he  could  not  repress  a  start 


6.    R«lativ«  Clauses. 

Relative  clauses  are  introduced  by  relative  pro- 
nouns, and  are  either  restrictive  or  non-restrictive. 
Non-restrictive  clauses  are  preceded  by  the  conuna, 
and  if  they  occur  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence  they 
are  followed  by  this  mark.  Restrictive  clauses  do 
not  take  commas.  The  antecedent  of  a  restrictive 
clause  is  generally  modified  by  a,  the,  or  that. 

Cherish  true  patriotism,  which  has  its  root  in  benevolence. 
The  eye,  that  sees  all  things,  sees  not  itself. 
His  stories,  which  made  everybody  laugh,  were  often  made 
to  order. 


THE  COMMA  47 

The  lever  which  moves  the  world  of  mind  is  emphatically 
the  printing-press. 

A  man  who  has  never  been  at  sea  cannot  be  thoroughly 
proficient  in  navigation. 

A  comma  should  be  placed  before  the  pronoun  of 
a  restrictive  clause,  when  the  relative  refers  to  each 
noun  in  a  series. 

He  had  hopes,  fears,  and  longings,  which  his  friends  could 
not  share. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  He  picked  up  the  flag  which  had  fallen  precisely  at  his 
feet 

2.  Let  us  draw  a  lesson  from  Nature  which  always  works 
by  short  ways 

3.  Please  send  us  circulars  that  will  give  us  information 
on  these  points 

4.  I  take  great  pleasure  in  sending  you  the  enclosed  cir- 
culars which  I  hope  will  give  you  the  information  you  desire 

5.  The  young  woman  was  strongly  attached  to  her  nurse 
who  had  been  with  her  since  childhood 

6.  A  teacher  who  is  firm  and  kind  is  respected  by  his  pupils 

7.  Avoid  doing  anything  which  would  hurt  the  feelings  of 
another 

8.  Avoid  rudeness  of  manner  which  must  always  hurt  the 
feelings  of  others 

9.  Many  men  who  have  attained  great  success  in  life  have 
been  poor  in  youth 

10.  Slaves  and  savages  who  receive  no  education  are  pro- 
verbially indolent 

11.  The  accounts  which  I  have  given  you  of  those  districts 
have  come  to  me  from  many  reliable  sources 

12.  The  human  heart  which  is  so  easily  agitated  never  beats 


48  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

more  peacefully  than  in  the  natural  activity  of  vigorous  yet 
satisfying  work 

13.  I  presume  we  cannot  go  to  a  higher  authority  than  those 
honorable  gentlemen  who  profess  to  be  the  farmers'  friends 
and  protectors 

14.  We  expect  the  man  who  professes  to  be  our  friend  to 
be  always  our  friend 

15.  Three  members  of  the  committee  who  professed  to 
favor  the  measure  voted  against  it  in  the  final  ballot 

16.  The  house  was  covered  with  thatch  which  gave  it  an 
air  of  great  snugness 

17.  Fortunes  which  are  slowly  accumulated  are  often 
vulgarly  spent  or  foolishly  wasted 

18.  We  were  obliged  to  hire  a  guide  who  trotted  on  before 

19.  The  prison  which  condemns  some  men  to  despair  gives 
others  time  and  quiet  for  meditation 

20.  The  man  who  despairs  is  an  easy  prey  to  temptation 
of  every  kind 

21.  Where  are  now  the  revellers  the  flatterers  that  he 
could  once  inspire  and  command? 

22.  The  manners  the  pretension  which  annoy  you  so  much 
are  not  superficial 

23.  The  commander  who  becomes  disturbed  agitated 
anxious  puts  himself  in  the  way  of  crushing  defeat 

24.  But  though  all  this  gave  me  no  pleasure  it  had  a  very 
different  effect  upon  Olivia  who  mistook  it  for  humor 

25.  I  have  read  that  those  who  listened  to  Lord  Chatham 
felt  that  there  was  something  finer  in  the  man  than  anything 
which  he  said 


6.   Words  or  Phrasos  In  Apposition* 

Words  or  phrases  in  apposition  should  be  separated 
from  each  other  and  from  the  rest  of  the  sentence  by 
commas. 

Newton,  the  great  mathematician,  was  very  modest. 


THE  COMMA  49 

If  one  of  the  words  used  is  merely  a  general  title, 
or  if  two  or  more  words  can  be  regarded  as  one  name 
or  as  a  single  phrase,  the  comma  should  not  be  used. 

The  Emperor  Augustus  was  a  patron  of  the  fine  arts. 
The  river  Thames 

Philip  of  Macedon.  Lord  Chief  Justice.  Louis  IX  of 
France,  David  Bruce  of  New  York. 


When  a  pronoun  is  used  with  a  noun  for  the  sake 
of  emphasis  or  in  direct  address,  the  comma  should 
be  omitted. 

I  myself.     Ye  men  of  Athens. 

A  title  or  a  degree  is  separated  by  a  comma  from 
the  noun  which  it  follows. 

John  James,  Secretary.  Frederick  W.  Farrar,  D.  D., 
F.  R.  S. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  The  office  will  be  in  charge  of  our  representative  Mr 
W   G   Greene 

2.  His  successor  Mr  James  Simpson  of  Boston  is  well 
acquainted  with  the  people  here 

3.  That  good  Earl  her  husband  would  have  been  proud  of 
his  wife 

4.  Ranke  the  great  German  historian  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety-two  and  Chevreul  the  eminent  chemist  at  the  age  of 
one  hundred  and  two 

5.  Goswinda  the  queen  dowager  did  not  receive  calmly  the 
news  of  so  great  a  change  in  the  religion  of  the  state 


50  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

6.  The  Moors  though  as  a  whole  making  a  nation  pre- 
served the  patriarchal  customs  of  their  ancestors  the  Arabs 

7.  In  front  of  him  was  another  wall  a  wall  like  night 

8.  To  him  there  were  but  two  paths  the  right  and  the 
wrong 

9.  WiUiam  the  Conqueror  the  great   Norman  chieftain 
defeated  the  Saxons  In  the  battle  of  Hastings 

10.  Lorenzo  the  Magnificent  was  a  patron  of  the  fine  arts 

11.  The  Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  occurred  during  the 
reign  of  Charles  IX  of  France  the  son  of  Catherine  de  Medicis 

12.  The  siege  of  Orleans  was  raised  by  Joan  of  Arc  in  1429 

13.  The  check  must  be  signed  by  Thomas  Davis  Treasurer 

14.  The  king  himself  received  the  petitioner 

15.  You  yourselves  should  set  an  example  of  faithfulness 
and  courage 

16.  A  speech  is  expected  from  Senator  Depew  of  New  York 

17.  At  the  dinner  a  telegram  was  read  from  John  Bright 
of  England 

18.  Henry  VIII  of  England  married  Catharine  of  Arragon 

19.  The  Emperor  Maximilian  of  Mexico  met  a  tragic  death 

20.  Johanna  daughter  of  Isabella  the  Catholic  married 
Philip  of  Austria 

21.  Kaiser  Wilhelm  II  Emperor  of  Germany  is  taking  a 
cruise  on  his  yacht 

22.  King  Alfonso  XIII  of  Spain  made  a  visit  to  the 
rulers  of  France  and  England 

23.  At  seven  o'clock  the  vessel  dropped  anchor  in  the 
river  James 

24.  Sir  King  and  Uncle  is  it  fitting  that  I  should  be  abroad 
fighting  thy  battles? 

25.  The  Arabs  of  Spain  reached  the  height  of  their  impor- 
tance during  the  reign  of  Alhakem  the  Second 

26.  Arrian  who  afterwards  became  the  historian  of  Alex- 
ander the  Great  took  down  in  writing  the  discourses  of  the 
philosopher  Epictetus 

27.  The  Mayor  of  London  confers  upon  distinguished 
visitors  the  freedom  of  the  city 


THE  COMMA  51 

28.  The  city  of  Mexico  possesses  a  delightful  climate 

29.  Richard    the    Lion-Hearted    engaged    in    the    Third 
Crusade 

30.  Major  General  Greene  commanded  the  left  wing  of 
the  army 


7.    Nouns  of  Addross  and  Voootlvo  Exprossions. 

Nouns  of  address  and  vocative  expressions  should 
be  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  sentence  by  commas. 

Mr.  President  I  rise  to  explain. 

You  talk,  sir,  of  your  allies.     I  wish  to  know  who  your 
allies  are. 
Let  us  now,  my  friends,  cahnly  discuss  this  matter. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  My  brother  the  brave  man  has  to  give  his  life  away 

2.  I  think  William  that  you  have  not  done  your  best 

3.  Morning  is  the  best  time  to  study  my  son 

4.  Man  you  ought  not  to  be  affected  contrary  to  nature  by 
the  bad  things  of  another     Pity  him  rather 

5.  I  enter  into  this  debate  Mr   President  in  no  spirit  of 
personal  unkindness 

6.  No  sir  there  I  protest  you  are  too  hard  for  me 

7.  That  may  be  seen  young  man  if  you  will  come  with  me 

8.  Fairest  Cordelia  thou  art  most  rich  being  poor 

9.  Come  hither  friend  where  is  the  king  my  master 

10.  Therefore  great  king  we  yield  our  town  and  lives  to 
thy  soft  mercy 

11.  Then  hear  me  gracious  sovereign 

12.  Come  uncle  Exeter  go  you  and  enter  Harfleur 

13.  Gloucester  'tis  true  that  we  are  in  great  danger 

14.  Once  more  unto  the  breach  dear  friends  once  more 


S2  EXERCISES  m  PUNCTUATION 

15.  No  doubt  my  li^e  if  each  man  do  his  best 

16.  My  lord  your  nobles  jealous  of  your  absence  seek 
through  your  camp  to  find  you 

17.  Man  be  neither  ungrateful  for  these  gifts  nor  yet  forget 
the  things  which  are  superior  to  them 

18.  Consider  you  who  are  getting  into  court  what  you  wish 
to  maintain  and  what  you  wish  to  succeed  in 

19.  And  you  my  gentle  knight  give  me  your  thought 

20.  Listen  O  people  over  whom  my  heart  yearns 

21.  Therefore  you  men  of  Harfleur 

Take  pity  of  your  town  and  of  your  people 

22.  O  heaven  O  earth  bear  witness  to  this  sound! 

23.  Answer  echoes  dying  dying  dyingi 

24.  O  you  kind  gods 

Cure  this  great  breach  in  his  abused  nature! 

25.  Welcome  then  thou  imsubstantial  air  that  I  embrace 


8.    Subject  and    Predloat*.      Long     Infinitiv* 
Phrases. 

If  the  subject  of  a  sentence  is  so  long  that  the 
reader  might  find  difficulty  in  separating  it  from  the 
predicate,  or  if  the  nominative  ends  with  a  word 
which  might  be  read  with  the  predicate  and  thus  con- 
found the  sense,  a  conmia  is  placed  after  the  subject. 
When  the  predicate  begins  with  a  word  with  which 
the  subject  ends,  a  comma  should  be  placed  between 
them. 

That  a  peculiar  state  of  the  mere  particles  of  the  brain 
should  be  followed  by  a  change  in  the  state  of  the  sentient 
mind,  is  truly  wonderful. 

To  walk  beneath  the  porch,  is  still  infinitely  less  than  to 
kneel  before  the  cross. 

Whatever  is,  is  right. 


THE  COMMA  63 

A  long  infinitive  phrase,  whether  used  as  a  subject 
or  occurring  at  the  end  of  a  sentence,  is  set  off  by  a 
comma. 

To  pull  down  the  false  and  build  up  the  true,  let  this  be 
our  endeavor. 

And  Freedom  shall  awhile  repair, 
To  dwell,  a  weeping  hermit,  there. 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  That  virtue  which  requires  to  be  ever  guarded  is 
scarcely  worth  the  name 

2.  This  is  a  course  of  training  intended  to  fit  bookkeepers 
who  are  thorough  in  double  entry  and  familiar  with  business 
routine  for  public  practise  as  accountants 

3.  Your  two  communications  containing  proof  and  ship- 
ping order  were  duly  received 

4.  To  be  able  to  perform  a  difficiJt  task  easily  requires 
much  practise 

5.  To  be  sincere  in  what  we  say  is  better  than  to  make 
many  promises. 

6.  Where  it  is  is  d^y  where  it  was  is  night 

7.  He  who  rests  on  what  he  is  has  a  destiny  above  destiny 
and  can  make  mouths  at  Fortune 

8.  Who  does  nothing  nothing  knows 

9.  If  it  is  necessary  to  weep  weep  if  to  groan  groan  but  if 
these  things  be  base  determine  immediately 

10.  The  only  happiness  a  brave  man  ever  troubled  himself 
much  about  was  happiness  enough  to  get  his  work  done 


9.    A  Short  Quotation  or  tin  Expression  Resem- 
bling «  Quotation. 

A  short  quotation  or  an  expression  resembling  a 
quotation  is  generally  separated  by  a  comma  from 


54  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

the  rest  of  the  sentence  into  which  it  is  intro- 
duced. When  a  question  or  an  exclamatory  remark 
occurs  at  the  beginning  of  a  sentence,  only  the  ques- 
tion mark  or  the  exclamation  point  is  used  to  separate 
it  from  the  words  which  follow. 

If  the  quotation  is  preceded  by  the  conjunction 
that,  or  if  the  flow  of  thought  is  uninterrupted,  the 
comma  is  not  used. 

Marcus  Aurelius  asks,  "What  matter  by  whom  the  good  is 
done?" 

"Where  sleeps  the  Chief?"  the  henchmen  said. 

"Most  extraordinary!"  he  said. 

Experience  of  life  teaches  us  that  "it  is  a  great  loss  to  lose 
an  affliction." 

The  cry  for  "Pitt  and  the  King"  carried  the  day. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  I  admire  the  sentiment  of  Thoreau  who  said  Nothing 
is  so  much  to  be  feared  as  fear 

2.  Agrippinus  said  "I  am  not  a  hindrance  to  myself  " 

3.  Do  not  cry  out  and  torment  yourself  and  say  Every- 
body hates  me 

4.  As  the  Latin  adage  declares  "A  great  city  is  a  great 
solitude  " 

5.  One  says  Abstain  from  food  another  says  Give  food 
another  says  Bleed  and  another  says  Use  cupping 

6.  The  ancient  British  bards  had  for  the  title  of  their 
order  "Those  who  are  free  throughout  the  world  " 

7.  There  is  a  Greek  verse  which  runs  "The  gods  are  to 
each  other  not  unknown  " 

8.  "I  beg  to  ask  what  you  call  vast  flowing  vigor?"  says 
his  companion 


THE  COMMA  66 

9.  We  commend  the  poet  who  said  "  Not  death  is  evil  but 
a  shameful  death  " 

10.  The  lesson  which  these  observations  convey  is  Be  and 
not  seem 

11.  Socrates  said  to  one  who  was  reminding  him  to  prepare 
for  his  trial  Do  you  not  think  then  that  I  have  been  preparing 
for  it  all  my  Ufe? 

12.  And  if  you  hear  him  say  "Wretch  that  I  am  how  much 
I  suffer"  caU  him  a  slave 

13.  "Your  name?"  demanded  the  usher 

14.  "Do  I  not  owe  something  to  myself?"  said  the  boy 
inwardly 

15.  "The  temples  of  Allah  belong  to  Allah  and  to  Allah 
alone  1"  was  the  reply  of  the  bold  intruder 

16.  The  question  now  is  Did  he  act  within  the  constitution 
and  the  law 

17.  Your  excuse  of  "having  to  construct  an  entirely  new 
desk  because  of  the  No.  7  tyx)ewriter  attachment"  is  exceed- 
ingly weak 

18.  God  has  fixed  this  law  and  says  "If  you  would  have 
anything  good,  receive  it  from  yourself  " 

19.  If  there  were  to  be  a  new  beatitude  it  might  well  read 
"Bleesed  are  the  cheerful  " 

20.  The  question  is  not  How  can  I  get  rich  or  win  a  seat  in 
Congress  or  a  government  chair?  but  What  will  be  the  result 
of  my  choice  of  a  life-work  upon  my  own  mind  and  nature? 

21.  There  is  a  saying  that  "the  gold  is  where  you  find  it  " 

22.  The  world  does  not  ask  what  you  know  but  What  can 
you  do? 

23.  He  declared  the  procrastination  might  produce  a  state 
of  suffering  that  would  be  frightful  to  contemplate 

24.  "All  the  dead  become  gods"  wrote  the  great  Shinto 
commentator  Hirata 

25.  I  say  unto  all  Watch 

26.  Aristotle's  definition  of  the  ridiculous  is  "What  is  out 
of  time  and  place,  without  danger  " 

27.  I  desire  to  thank  God  that  he  enables  me  to  disregard 
"the  fear  of  m^n  which  bringeth  a  snare  " 


56  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

10.    Omission  of  a  Noun,  a  Verb,  or  a  Phrasa. 

A  comma  should  be  used  to  indicate  the  omis- 
sion of  a  noim,  a  verb,  or  a  phrase  when  a  mark 
is  necessary  to  make  the  meaning  clear;  in  short 
clauses  it  may  be  dispensed  with,  unless  needed  to 
prevent  ambiguity. 

Reading  maketh  a  full  man;    conference,  a  ready  man; 
writing,  an  exact  man. 
The  young  are  slaves  to  novelty;  the  old  to  custoixL 


When  two  short  clauses  have  bearing  on  a  final 
expression,  the  comma  is  omitted  after  the  second 
clause,  and  the  semicolon  before  it  is  changed  to  a 
comma. 

Herder  had  more  of  the  Oriental  fancy,  Schleiermacher 
more  of  the  European  acuteness  in  his  composition. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  The  estrade  remained  solitary;  the  stage  mute 

2.  The  benevolent  man  is  esteemed  the  pernicious  con- 
demned 

3.  Cash  should  be  stated  first  properties  second 

4.  If  good  he  is  free  from  blame  if  bad  he  himself 
suffers  the  penalty 

5.  Loft-dried  paper  is  calendered  in  single  sheets  machine- 
dried  in  the  roU 

6.  If  the  divine  is  faithful  man  also  must  be  faithful  if  it 
is  free  man  also  must  be  free  if  beneficent  man  also  must  be 
beneficent  if  magnanimous  man  also  must  be  magnanimous 

7.  Life  is  precarious  and  death  certain 

8.  Concession  is  no  humiliation  nor  admission  of  error 
any  disgrace 


THE  COMMA  57 

9.  Some  men  are  eminent  for  what  they  possess  some  for 
what  they  achieve  and  others  for  what  they  are 

10.  The  first  character  carried  in  his  right  hand  a  sword 
the  second  two  golden  keys  the  third  a  pair  of  scales  and  the 
fourth  a  spade 

11.  New  arts  destroy  the  old  See  the  investment  of 
capital  in  aqueducts  made  useless  by  hydraulics  fortifica- 
tions by  gunpowder  roads  and  canals  by  railways  sails 
by  steam    steam  by  electricity 

12.  If  I  have  set  my  admiration  on  the  poor  body  I  have 
given  myself  up  to  be  a  slave  if  on  my  poor  possessions  I  also 
make  myself  a  slave 

13.  Hollis  was  to  have  been  Secretary  of  State  and  Pym 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer 

14.  Men  of  aim  must  lead  the  aimless  men  of  invention 
the  uninventive 

15.  We  doubt  not  a  man's  fortune  may  be  read  in  the  lines 
of  his  hand  by  palmistry  in  the  lines  of  his  face  by  physiog- 
nomy in  the  outlines  of  the  skuU  by  craniology  the  lines 
are  all  there  but  the  reader  waits 


11.    Ambiguity.    Uninterrupted  Flow  of  Thought. 

A  comma  is  sometimes  needed  to  prevent  the  plac- 
ing of  a  wrong  construction  upon  the  sentence.  On 
the  other  hand,  where  a  sentence  expresses  an  unin- 
terrupted flow  of  thought,  unless  it  is  needed  to  make 
the  meaning  clear,  a  comma  should  not  be  used  in 
any  part  of  it. 

He  who  loves  the  bristle  of  bayonets,  only  sees  in  their 
glitter  what  beforehand  he  felt  in  his  heart. 

He  who  loves  the  bristle  of  bayonets  only,  sees  in  their 
gUtter  what  beforehand  he  felt  in  his  heart. 


68  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  If  you  do  send  us  a  postal  card  to  that  effect 

2.  The  other  continued  smiling  "It  was  a  very  pretty 
thing  to  see  " 

3.  Avoid  the  society  of  men  who  are  selfish  and  cruel 

4.  And  did  he  not  talk  a  long  string  of  learning  about 
Greek  and  cosmogony  and  the  world? 

5.  Is  he  a  sincere  man  who  lives  as  he  teaches 

6.  Duty  grows  everywhere  like  children  like  grass     and 
we  need  not  go  to  Europe  or  to  Asia  to  learn  it 

7.  Who  cover  faults  at  last  shame  them  derides 

8.  Of  his  life  at  this  time  very  little  is  known 

9.  In  Paradise  Adam  and  Eve  reigned  supreme 
10.  To  the  good  death  preeents  no  terrors 


1.  It  is  only  as  a  man  puts  off  all  foreign  support  and 
stands  alone  that  I  see  him  to  be  strong  and  to  prevail 

2.  The  man  who  can  no  longer  generously  and  unaffectedly 
admire  a  fine  person  or  deed  has  suffered  a  loss  at  the  very 
heart  of  his  life 

3.  Hosts  of  men  and  women  go  through  their  lives  without 
once  looking  their  deeds  in  the  face  or  seeing  themselves  with 
clear  eyes 

4.  For  what  is  greater  or  more  useful  than  for  you  to  be 
persuaded  that  it  is  not  sufficient  to  have  made  your  deter- 
mination and  not  to  change  it? 

5.  The  books  were  probably  written  at  various  periods  and 
laid  by  until  the  author  could  find  a  publisher  for  them 

6.  He  who  thinks  wisely  of  the  present  and  does  well  with 
the  present  thinks  most  wisely  and  does  best  with  the 
future 

7.  A  nobler  view  of  life  would  make  us  content  and  even 
glad  to  wait  for  the  larger  truths  and  the  deeper  joys  which 
an  unfolding  experience  contains  for  those  who  are  patient 
and  faithful 


THE  COMMA  69 

8.  He  who  falls  asleep  for  a  moment  at  his  post  often 
inflicts  as  great  an  injury  on  the  cause  he  defends  as  the  most 
unscrupulous  traitor 

9.  In  exact  proportion  to  the  weight  of  the  truth  or  the 
grandeur  of  a  thought  was  the  degree  of  punishment  meted 
out  to  him 

10.  Past  history  is  full  of  the  pains  and  penalties  visited 
upon  the  individual  who  disturbed  the  established  order  of 
things  by  initiating  a  new  truth  or  living  thought 

11.  To  be  totally  indifferent  to  praise  or  censure  is  a  real 
defect  in  character 

12.  The  deeper  silent  life  we  can  only  hope  to  discern  and 
influence  by  reaching  those  broad  decisive  currents  of  the 
thought  and  feeling  of  our  time  which  carry  all  minor  issues 
with  them 

13.  I  have  heard  an  experienced  counselor  say  that  he 
never  feared  the  effect  upon  a  jury  of  a  lawyer  who  did  not 
believe  in  his  heart  that  his  client  ought  to  have  a  verdict 

14.  It  is  astonishing  how  outward  circumstances  will  some- 
times evolve  unsuspected  energy  from  a  man  who  has  here- 
tofore been  regarded  as  essentially  commonplace  by  his  neigh- 
bors and  by  himself 

15.  This  was  the  laborious  way  in  which  he  (Lord  Chatham) 
acquired  that  extraordinary  and  perhaps  imrivaled  gift  of 
pouring  out  for  hour  after  hour  an  unbroken  stream  of  thought 
without  ever  hesitating  for  a  word  or  recalling  a  phrase  or 
sinking  into  looseness  of  expression 


GENERAL  PRACTISE 

1.  Have    the   American  wheels  handled  by   you  given 
thorough  satisfaction? 

2.  We  would  suggest  that  on  receipt  of  this  you  wire  us 
at  our  expense  your  wishes  in  the  matter 

3.  You  have  in  your  Combination  Tank  placed  on  the 


60  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

market  a  valuable  and  I  may  say  indispensable  adjunct  to 
the  modem  system  of  beating 

4.  Car  supply  is  to-day  we  regret  to  say  worse  than  ever 
and  we  are  like  every  one  else  in  a  quandary  as  to  what  the 
outcome  will  be 

5.  Under  the  circumstances  I  shall  be  pleased  to  receive 
the  amount  due  viz  $40,000 

6.  The  building  is  a  modem  fire-proof  ten-story  structure 

7.  It  is  an  efiFective  and  easily-operated  hand-power 
cutter 

8.  In  the  second  place  there  has  been  a  gradual  and  there- 
fore a  wise  distribution  on  a  large  scale  of  political  rights 

9.  Introduced  into  the  book  but  unconnected  with  it  in 
subject  is  a  poetical  review 

10.  A  man  reveab  himself  in  every  glance  and  step  and 
movement  and  rest 

11.  Give  me  a  man  who  cares  how  he  shall  do  anything 
not  for  the  obtaining  of  a  thing  but  who  cares  about  his  own 
energy 

12.  O  you  sir  you  come  you  brother  sir 

13.  He  was  gay  and  caressing  when  he  had  a  mind 

14.  I  answer  Respect  the  child  respect  him  to  the  end  but 
also  respect  yourself 

15.  One  needs  only  to  look  at  the  social  aspect  of  England 
and  America  and  France  to  see  the  rank  which  original  prac- 
tical talent  commands 

16.  We  have  been  at  war  since  that  time  I  believe  with  for 
and  against  every  considerable  nation  in  Europe 

17.  The  other  two  were  the  doctor  and  the  priest  who  was 
engaged  in  prayer 

18.  Most  of  the  wrecks  of  human  life  are  caused  by  having 
either  no  work  or  too  little  work  or  uncongenial  work 

19.  Address  the  President  of  the  National  League  Balti' 
more  Md  or  James  H.  Horton  Secretary  912  Wyandotte 
Street  Chelsea 

20.  The  manners  must  have  that  depth  and  centrality  of 
tone  to  attest  their  centrality  in  the  nature  of  the  man 


THE  COMMA  61 

21.  The  weary  audience  which  has  been  lulled  to  sleep  by 
means  of  a  stream  of  commonplace  talk  is  instantly  erect  and 
attentive  when  a  man  who  has  something  to  say  and  knows 
how  to  say  it  begins  to  speak 

22.  As  the  Sandwich  Islander  believes  that  the  strength  and 
valor  of  the  enemy  he  kills  passes  into  hunself  so  we  gain  the 
strength  of  the  temptation  we  resist 

23.  The  house  was  occupied  in  fact  The  windows  had 
short  curtains  a  sign  that  there  was  a  woman  about 

24.  But  it  is  impossible  to  convince  some  persons  at  present 
so  that  I  seem  now  to  know  what  I  did  not  know  before  the 
meaning  of  the  common  saying  that  you  can  neither  persuade 
nor  break  a  fool 

25.  The  Mayor  can  enforce  and  he  is  bound  to  enforce  the 
law 

26.  Upon  a  most  frivolous  charge  Wentworth  obtained  a 
capital  sentence  from  a  court-martial  against  a  man  of  high 
rank  who  had  given  him  offense 

27.  The  perjuries  the  sorceries  the  poisonings  which  his 
chief  favorites  had  planned  within  the  walls  of  his  palace 
and  the  pardon  which  in  direct  violation  of  his  duty  and  his 
word  he  was  ready  to  grant  made  the  King  an  object  of  loath- 
ing to  many  of  his  subjects 

28.  Madame  Magloire  was  a  little  fat  white  old  woman 
corpulent  and  bustling  always  out  of  breath — in  the  first  place 
because  of  her  activity  and  in  the  next  because  of  her  asthma 

29.  Whoever  undertakes  to  build  a  house  to  cultivate  a 
farm  to  work  a  mine  to  obtain  relief  from  pain  to  maintain  a 
legal  controversy  or  to  perform  any  function  of  civilized  life 
is  actively  searching  for  other  men  quahfied  to  aid  him 

30.  In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  8th  inst  we  desire  to  state 
that  we  should  be  pleased  to  supply  you  with  a  book  contain- 
ing 888  pages  ruled  with  divisions  for  accounts  as  specified 
of  paper  the  same  as  the  sample  enclosed  with  printed 
headings  the  bindings  to  be  full  leather  Russia  bands  for 
$25 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  INTERROGATION  POINT 

I.    Dir«ct  Questions. 

The  interrogation  point  should  be  used  after  every 
direct  question,  when  an  answer  is  expected  or 
involved. 

Will  you  go  to  the  lecture  this  evening? 
Canst  thou  by  searching  find  out  God? 


It  is  sometimes  difficult  to  decide  whether  the  inter- 
rogation point  or  the  mark  of  exclamation  should  be 
used  after  a  sentence  which  is  interrogative  in  form. 
As  a  general  rule,  when  an  answer  is  expected  or 
implied,  the  interrogation  point  should  be  used; 
when  no  answer  is  either  expected  or  involved,  the 
sentence  should  be  followed  by  the  exclamation  point. 

What  is  the  happiness  that  this  world  can  give?    Can  it 
defend  us  from  disasters? 
How  could  you  desert  me! 
O  Rose!    who  dares  to  name  thee! 


When  a  rhetorical  use  is  made  of  a  question,  it  is 
followed  by  an  interrogation  point. 

Am  I  not  an  apostle?    Am  I  not  free? 
(62) 


/  / 


THE  INTERROGATION  POINT  63 


A  sentence  put  in  a  declarative  form,  but  intended 
as  a  question,  should  be  followed  by  an  interrogation 
point. 

You  will  go  to  the  lecture  this  evening? 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  Can  volume  pillar  pile  preserve  thee  great 

2.  Besides  what  is  danger  in  comparison  with  the  right 

3.  Will  you  kindly  inform  me  what  company  is  insuring 
the  title 

4.  What  do  you  propose  to  do  now  That  is  the  ques- 
tion 

5.  Seest  thou  not  I'm  one  of  them 

6.  If  God  had  made  colors  but  had  not  made  the  faculty 
of  seeing  them  what  would  have  been  their  use 

7.  What  then  was  the  nature  of  this  system  Was  it 
anything  but  what  I  have  stated  it  to  be 

8.  Could  you  not  induce  your  customer  to  conform  to  a 
more  rational  standard 

9.  May  we  not  have  some  items  of  information  concern- 
ing your  business  and  the  trade  generally  in  your  part  of 
the  country 

10.  Can  you  not  rush  the  work  on  the  stair  job  you  are 
doing  on  my  Eighth  Avenue  house 

11.  Will  you  please  have  the  work  set  in  ten-point  type 
with  a  plain  border  around  it  This  would  give  opportunity 
for  a  better  display  of  type  and  we  think  that  it  would  look 
quite  as  well 

12.  You  understand  me     (Quastion') 

13.  And  you      I      I  work 

14.  You  are  then  of  that  land  upon  which  the  sun  never 
sets 

15.  Do  you  know  it's  mighty  lucky  by  the  way  that  he 
didn't  recognize  me 


\ 


64  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 


16.  Dull  people  think  it  Fortune  that  makes  one  rich  and 
another  poor      Is  it 

17.  Whither  was  he  going  He  could  not  tell  Why 
was  he  hastening      He  did  not  know 

18.  Is  not  this  something  more  than  fantasy  What 
think  you  on't 

19.  Know  you  not  that  a  good  man  does  nothing  for  the 
sake  of  appearance  but  for  the  sake  of  doing  right 

20.  Why  do  we  pray  to  Heaven  without  setting  our  own 
shoulder  to  the  wheel 

21.  "Tell  me  Sophy  my  dear  what  do  you  think  of  our 
new  visitor  Don't  you  think  he  seemed  to  be  good- 
natured  " 

22.  Is  it  not  true  that  every  landscape  I  behold  every 
friend  I  meet  every  act  I  perform  every  pain  I  suffer  leaves 
me  a  different  being  from  that  they  found  me 

23.  Cannot  we  let  people  be  themselves  and  enjoy  life 
in  their  own  way  You  are  trying  to  make  that  man  another 
you     One's  enough 

24.  Why  being  younger  bom 

Doth  he  lay  claim  to  thine  inheritance 

25.  Is  that  your  belief      If  so  why  not  proclaim  it 


2.    Sentences  which  Denote  only  that  a  Question 
has  been  asked. 

The  interrogation  point  should  not  be  used  after  a 
sentence  which  merely  denotes  that  a  question  has 
been  asked. 

He  asked  me  if  I  would  go  to  the  lecture  this  evening 
He  asked  me  what  I  would  do  in  that  case. 
He  was  asked  the  question,  Are  you  guilty  or  not  guilty, 
and  refused  to  answer. 


THE  INTERROGATION  POINT  65 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  I  again  ask  you  what  you  have  to  propose 

2.  They  ask  if  a  man  is  a  republican  or  a  democrat 

3.  Ask  him  how  much  money  he  can  let  us  have 
to-day 

4.  We  desire  to  ask  if  Mr.  O'Neill  now  owns  any  property 
in  your  city 

5.  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  inform  me  whether  I  am 
right  or  wrong  in  my  surmise 

6.  The  question  is  not  what  we  might  actually  wish  with 
our  present  views  but  what  with  juster  views  we  ought  to 
wish 

7.  He  was  asked  when  he  would  be  able  to  give  a  positive 
answer 

8.  To  the  question  When  will  you  be  able  to  give  a  posi- 
tive answer  he  replied  that  he  could  do  so  at  once 

0.  When  asked  what  would  be  the  result  if  the  measure 
should  be  adopted  he  remained  silent 

10.  In  reply  to  your  question  How  soon  can  the  work  be 
completed  according  to  specifications  I  refer  you  to  the  con- 
tractor 


3.    8*ntefio««  not  Entirely  Intorregatlv*. 

When  a  sentence  is  not  entirely  interrogative,  the 
interrogation  point  is  placed  immediately  after  the 
interrogative  portion. 

"What  has  time,  what  has  man  done  with  all  those  won- 
ders?" asks  our  author. 

Shall  we  blame  him? — seeing  that  he  did  not  know  what 
would  be  expected  of  him,  and  that  he  would  not  have 
understood  had  he  known. 


66  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  For  what  purpose    you  may  say 

2.  Why  should  he  not  be  set  free    they  cry 

3.  I  ask  What  does  it  mean 

4.  "Doest  thou  well  to  be  angry"  was  the  question  asked 
in  old  time  of  the  Hebrew  prophet 

5.  "Do  you  know  what  day  thb  is"  he  asked  trying  to 
conceal  his  emotion 

6.  If  you  ask  this  Pontiff  Who  made  him  What  is  to 
become  of  him  and  us  he  maintains  a  dignified  silence 

7.  "Will  you  have  her      She  is  herself  a  dowry" 

8.  What  other  remedy  have  you  for  mark  you  that  is 
worse  than  a  plaything  if  you  were  allowed  to  carry  out  your 
own  view 

9.  "What  is  your  pleasure  now"  said  Maggie  smiling 
languidly  as  she  rose  from  her  chair 

10.  "Shall  you  learn  drawing  now"  he  said  by  way  of 
changing  the  subject 

11.  But  you  may  say  Such  a  one  treated  me  with  regard 
so  long  and  did  he  not  love  me 

12.  Further  then  answer  me  this  question  Does  freedom 
seem  to  you  to  be  something  great  and  noble  and  valuable 

13.  Can  you  not  send  us  goods  of  a  better  quality  for 
if  all  the  linen  is  like  the  sample  received,  we  do  not  care  to 
place  an  order 

14.  Can  you  not  send  us  an  order  now  for  these  goods 
will  be  higher  in  price  in  a  few  weeks 

15.  But  this  does  not  arise  either  from  the  man's  strength 
or  the  teacher's  weakness  for  when  the  man  though  he  has 
been  confuted  is  hardened  like  a  stone  how  shall  we  then  be 
able  to  deal  with  him  by  argument 

16.  I  cannot  manage  sword  and  rifle  cannot  I  therefore 
be  brave 

17.  For  what  purpose  you  may  say  Why  that  you  may 
become  an  Olympic  conqueror 

18.  She  must  always  come  from  Aunt  Glegg's  before 


THE  INTERROGATION  POINT  67 

dinner     "else  what  shall  I  have  of  you  "  said  Lucy  with  a 
tearful  pout  that  could  not  be  resisted 

19.  "Should  you  like  to  be  our  boatman"  said  Lucy 
"Because  if  you  would  you  can  come  with  us  and  take  an 
oar" 

20.  "Take  us  on  board — will  you — and  haul  up  the  boat 
I'll  pay  you  well" 

2L  "I  had  always  some  ambition  and  you  now  see  that 
I  was  right  for  who  knows  how  this  may  end" 

22.  "  Now  then  tell  us  where  you  live  what's  the  name  of 
the  place" 

23.  Has  he  not  suffered  all  that  a  man  can  suffer  and  yet 
he  seems  not  unhappy 

24.  To  see  things  rightly  and  to  choose  the  best — is  not 
this  the  secret  of  the  art  of  right  living 

25.  "Euclid  my  lad — why  what's  that  "  said  his  father 


4.    A  S«rles  of  Qu«stlons. 

The  interrogation  point  is  used  after  each  separate 
query  of  a  compound  interrogative  sentence,  and 
after  each  query  in  a  series  of  short  questions. 

Does  he  dream  of  wealth?  or  fame?  or  empire?  or  happi- 


Who  is  that  old  fellow?     Is  he  a  poor  man?     Is  he  a 
millionaire? 


The  members  of  a  compound  interrogative  sentence 
are  sometimes  separated  by  other  points. 

Ah!  whither  now  are  fled  those  dreams  of  greatness; 
those  busy,  bustUng  days;  those  gay-spent,  festive  nights; 
those  veering  thoughts,  lost  between  good  and  ill,  that  shared 
thy  life? 


68  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  How  did  he  see  it  Deeply  or  superficially  Par- 
tially or  completely 

2.  Plato  had  a  secret  doctrine  had  he  What  secret  can 
he  conceal  from  the  eyes  of  Bacon    of  Montaigne    of  Kant 

3.  Am  I  a  lord  and  have  I  such  a  lady  or  do  I  dream 
or  have  I  dreamed  till  now 

4.  Was  ever  man  so  beaten  was  ever  man  so  rayed  was 
ever  man  so  weary 

5.  How  now      What  hath  befallen 

6.  Whence  come  we  Whither  do  we  go  What  is  our 
destiny 

7.  There  two  ways  presented  themselves  Which  should 
he  take      Ought  he  to  turn  to  the  left  or  to  the  right 

8.  How  was  he  to  get  out     should  he  find  an  issue 
should  he  find  it  in  time 

9.  Is  the  bee  really  dangerous  Does  she  allow  herself 
to  be  tamed      Is  there  a  risk  in  approaching  the  hives 

10.  The  difficulties  of  all  men  are  about  externals  their 
helplessness  is  about  externals  What  shall  I  do  how 
will  it  be     how  will  it  turn  out     will  this  happen     will  that 

11.  What  then  Should  we  use  such  things  carelessly 
In  no  way 

12.  Speak  seriously  Can  nothing  be  done  for  you 
What  would  you  like  to  be 

13.  Does  that  suit  you      Yes  or  no 

14.  Are  you  willing  to  receive  me  Is  this  an.inn  Will 
you  give  me  something  to  eat  and  a  bed 

15.  Laertes  was  your  father  dear  to  you 
Or  are  you  like  the  painting  of  a  sorrow 
A  face  without  a  heart 

16.  What  can  go  well  when  we  have  run  so  ill 
Are  we  not  beaten      Is  not  Anglers  lost 

17.  And  then  what  is  one  to  think  of  the  table  on  which 
so  many  things  happ>en  that  cannot  be  guessed  of  the 
derisive  chairs  on  which  one  is  forbidden  to  sleep  of  the 
plates  and  dishes  that  are  empty  by  the  time  that  one  can 


THE  INTERROGATION  POINT  69 

get  at  them     of  the  lamp  that  drives  away  the  dark. — 
Maeterlinck:  Our  Friend,  the  Dog. 

18.  I  say  do  you  know  this  letter 

19.  Why  then  are  you  vexed  if  he  receives  something  in 
return  for  that  which  he  sells  or  how  can  you  consider  him 
happy  who  acquires  those  things  by  such  means  as  you 
abominate  for  what  wrong  does  Providence  if  he  gives  the 
better  things  to  the  better  men 

20.  Do  you  not  know  that  human  life  is  a  warfare  that 
one  man  must  keep  watch  another  must  go  out  as  a  spy  and 
a  third  must  fight  and  it  is  not  possible  that  all  should 
be  in  one  place  nor  is  it  better  that  it  should  be  so 

21.  When  you  are  in  a  ship  do  you  trust  to  yourself  or 
to  the  helmsman  And  when  you  are  in  a  chariot  to  whom 
do  you  trust  but  to  the  driver  And  how  is  it  in  all  other 
arts      Just  the  same 

22.  But  Zeus  you  say  does  not  do  right  in  these  matters 
Why  Because  he  has  made  you  capable  of  endurance 
because  he  has  made  you  magnanimous  because  it  is  in 
your  power  to  be  happy  while  you  are  suffering  what  you 
suffer  because  he  has  opened  the  door  to  you  when  things 
did  not  please  you      Man  go  out  and  do  not  complain 

23.  If  I  develop  the  brute  faculties  by  cultivating  a  grasp- 
ing nature  if  I  harden  my  finer  sensibilities  while  struggling 
to  accumulate  that  which  rightly  belongs  to  another,  have 
I  succeeded 

24.  Will  he  awaken  be  alive  again  and  have  a  soul  or  is 
this  death-fit  very  death 

25.  Whence  does  this  knowledge  come  Where  is  the 
source  of  power  The  soul  of  God  la  poured  into  the  world 
through  the  thoughts  of  men 


GENERAL  PRACTISE 

1.  Is  not  this  your  son  my  lord 

2.  What  dost  thou  profess      What  wouldst  thou  with  us 


70  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

3.  You  are  strong  and  healthy      Why  do  you  not  work 

4.  I  must  die  Must  I  then  die  lamenting  I  must  be 
put  in  chains      Must  I  then  also  lament 

5.  And  who  is  able  to  compel  you  to  assent  to  that  which 
appears  false  No  man  And  who  can  compel  you  not  to 
assent  to  that  which  appears  true  No  man  By  this  then 
you  see  that  there  is  something  in  you  naturally  free 

6.  How  can  I  name  it  you 

7.  Isn't  he  a  booby      So  he  will  come  at  six  o'clock 

8.  The  distress  of  the  farmers  being  admitted  the  next 
question  which  arises  is  What  is  its  cause 

9.  For  they  say  What  am  I 

10.  When  Franklin  made  his  discovery  of  the  identity 
of  lightning  and  electricity  it  was  sneered  at  and  people 
asked  Of  what  use  is  it 

11.  What  are  our  resources  Our  stock  in  life  our  real 
estate  is  that  amount  of  thought  which  we  have  had 

12.  What  is  the  matter  What  is  the  matter  Are  we 
in  any  danger 

13.  A  voice  whispers  What  next 

14.  But  how  was  it  to  be  done  How  warn  the  persons 
threatened      He  did  not  know  their  address 

15.  Welcome  welcome  Moses  well  my  boy  what  have 
you  brought  us  from  the  farm 

16.  I  am  aware  that  many  object  to  the  severity  of  my 
language     but  is  there  not  cause  for  severity 

17.  The  next  question  going  one  step  farther  back  is  What 
has  caused  this  widely-diflfused  and  almost  universal  discon- 
tent 

18.  "Ah  sir  "  cried  my  wife  with  a  piteous  aspect  "  how 
is  it  possible  that  I  can  ever  have  your  forgiveness  " 

19.  And  again  hast  thou  valued  patience  courage  persever- 
ance openness  to  light  readiness  to  own  thyself  mistaken 
to  do  better  next  time 

20.  Has  He  not  given  to  you  endurance  Has  He  not 
given  to  you  magnanimity  Has  He  not  given  to  you  man- 
liness 


THE  INTERROGATION  POINT  71 

21.  And  what  are  thou  that  braggest  of  thy  life  of  idle- 
ness complacently  showest  thy  bright  gilt  equipages  sump- 
tuous cushions  appliances  for  the  folding  of  the  hands  to 
mere  sleep 

22.  Was  it  thy  aim  and  life-purpose  to  be  filled  with 
good  things  for  thy  heroism  to  have  a  life  of  pomp  and  ease 
and  be  what  men  call  "happy"  in  this  world  or  in  any  other 
world 

23.  The  heroic  man — and  is  not  every  man  God  be  thanked 
a  potential  hero — has  to  do  so  in  all  times  and  circumstances 

24.  Here  and  there  a  human  soul  may  listen  to  the  words 
— who  knows  how  many  human  souls — whereby  the  impor- 
tunate events  if  not  diverted  and  prevented  will  be  rendered 
less  hard 

25.  What  is  the  use  of  strength  or  cunning  or  beauty  or 
musical  voice  or  birth  or  breeding  or  money  to  a  maniac 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  EXCLAMATION  POINT 

1.    Interjections,  Exclamations,  ate.    Interjections 
Repeated.    The  Exclamation  Point  Repeated. 

The  exclamation  point  is  used  generally  after  inter- 
jections, words  used  as  interjections,  exclamations, 
and  phrases  or  sentences  expressing  emotion,  passion, 
wish,  or  wonder.  It  is  not  used  at  the  ends  of  sen- 
tences which  are  only  slightly  exclamatory  or  which 
merely  express  a  command,  nor  is  it  needed  after 
every  oh  or  alas. 

Hal   that  is  grand. 

No  morel    Oh,  how  majestically  mournful  are  those  words! 

God  save  the  King! 

0  blessed  vision  of  the  morning,  stayl 
A  wide  freedom,  truly. 

Friends,  Romans,  countrymen,  lend  me  your  ears. 

1  like  the  silent  church  before  the  service  b^ins,  better 
than  any  preaching.  How  far  off,  how  cool,  how  chaste  the 
persons  looks,  b^rt  each  one  with  a  precinct  or  a  sanctuary. 

If  an  interjection  begins  a  clause  or  a  sentence 
which  requires  the  exclamation  point  at  the  end,  it 
is  better  to  omit  the  point  after  the  interjection.  In 
some  cases  a  conmia  is  used. 

Alas  both  for  the  deed  and  for  the  cause  I 
Alas,  that  it  should  be  so! 
(72) 


THE  EXCLAMATION  POINT  73 

When  interjections  are  repeated  to  express  a  cer- 
tain sound,  they  are  separated  from  one  another  by 
commas,  and  the  exclamation  point  is  used  only  after 
the  last. 

Ha,  ha,  ha  I  That's  the  best  joke  I  have  heard  this  many 
a  day. 

When  a  sentence  is  not  entirely  exclamatory,  the 
exclamation  mark  is  placed  immediately  after  the 
exclamatory  portion. 

How  now,  brother  Edmund  1  what  serious  contemplation 
are  you  in? 


To  express  strong  feeling,  the  exclamation  point  is 
sometimes  repeated.  It  is  employed  in  this  way  in 
burlesque  and  satire,  but  only  to  a  limited  extent. 

Fire!  Fire!!  Fire! II    Dying!  Dying!!  Dying!!! 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  Ah    that  was  something  to  remember 

2.  What    is  it  only  in  dreams  that  such  things  occur 

3.  Alas     those  happy  days  are  gone 

4.  Back     back  on  your  lives  ye  menial  pack 

5.  Peace     peace     to  other  than  to  me 
Thy  words  were  evil  augury 

6.  Mercy  on  us      The  ship  is  splitting 

7.  Would  it  were  day 

8.  Long  live  Gonzalo 

9.  How  have  I  walked  in  glory  unaware 
10.  See  how  the  mighty  shrink  into  a  song 


74  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

11.  Alas  for  the  man  who  has  not  learned  to  work 

12.  Alas  poor  Yorick      Alas  my  noble  boy 

13.  Ay  every  inch  a  king 

14.  All  hail  great  master    grave  sir  hail 

15.  No  thank  Heaven     I  am  not  guilty  of  this  horror 

16.  Poor  little  man     he  has  forgotten  all  his  troubles 

17.  Imprudent  to  defend  the  liberty  of  the  press      Why 

18.  What  sir  have  all  your  negotiations  all  your  decla- 
mation all  your  money  been  squandered  in  vain 

19.  He  has  a  future  before  him     and  how  young  he  looks 

20.  A  boy  sleeping  out  on  a  night  like  this 

21.  How  many  sentences  and  books  we  owe  to  unknown 
authors 

22.  Slave  thou  hast  slain  me      Villain  take  my  purse 

23.  Help  help  help      I  am  drowning 

24.  On  on  on  on  on     to  the  breach     to  the  breach 

25.  Break  heart     I  prithee  break 

26.  O  fie  fie  fie      You  should  not  give  up  so  easily 

27.  Alack  alack  alack  the  day 

28.  Go  seek  the  traitor  Gloucester 

29.  But  O  poor  Gloucester      Ix)st  he  his  other  eye 

30.  Forty  sous     why  the  charge  is  only  twenty  sous 

31.  What  errors  negligence  of  this  rule  has  bred  What 
misdirection  it  has  perpetuated  Into  how  many  labyrinths 
where  truth  was  not  to  be  found  has  it  led  men 


2.    O  and  Oh. 

0  is  used  with  a  noun  in  direct  address  and  to 
express  a  wish  or  imprecation.  It  is  used  also  to 
introduce  an  exclamatory  phrase  or  sentence,  and  as 
an  introduction  to  a  sentence  in  which  it  has  no 
particular  meaning. 

O  thou  that  rollest  above,  round  as  the  shield  of  my  fathers! 


THE  EXCLAMATION  POINT  75 

O  wad  some  power  the  giftie  gie  us, 

To  see  ourselves  as  ithers  see  us! — Burns. 

O  God  I  that  men  should  put  an  enemy  in  their  mouths 
to  steal  away  their  brains!— Shakespeare:    Othello. 

When  did  you  return?    O,  only  yesterday. 

0  should  never  be  immediately  followed  by  the 
exclamation  point.  It  is  sometimes  followed  by  a 
conmia. 

In  names  compounded  with  o\  the  o  should  always 
be  a  small  letter:  Tam  o'Shanter,  five  o'clock. 

Oh  is  used  to  express  surprise,  pain,  or  grief.  It  is 
followed  inmiediately  by  the  exclamation  point,  unless 
used  to  introduce  an  exclamatory  phrase  or  sentence, 
in  which  case  the  comma  should  be  used  after  the 
interjection,  and  the  exclamation  point  placed  at  the 
end.    Oh  is  not  used  with  nouns  of  address. 

Oh!  I  have  lost  my  purse. 

Oh!   you  are  wounded,  my  lord. 

But  she  is  in  her  grave,  and  oh! 
The  difference  to  me! — Wordsworth. 

Oh,  what  a  tangled  web  we  weave 
When  first  we  practise  to  deceive! — Scott. 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  0  you  kind  gods    cure  this  great  breach  in  his  abused 
nature 

2.  Tremble  O  man 

3.  O  friend  never  strike  sail  to  a  fear     Come  into  port 
greatly  or  sail  with  God  to  the  seas 

4.  O  that  a  man  should  speak  those  words  to  me 

5.  O  woe  the  day 


76  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

6.  O  the  difference  of  man  and  man 

7.  O  day  and  night  but  this  is  wondrous  strange 

8.  O  what  a  noble  mind  is  here  o'erthrown 

9.  O  it  offends  me  to  the  soul 

10.  O  but  she'll  keep  her  word 

11.  O  here  they  come 

12.  O  then  it  moved  her 

13.  Oh  nothing  is  farther  from  my  thoughts  than  to  de- 
ceive you 

14.  Oh  the  cry  of  the  children     the  cry  of  the  children 

15.  Oh  the  grave     the  grave 

16.  Oh  what  a  glorious  part  you  may  play 

17.  Oh  you  can't  approve  of  her 

18.  Oh  what  miracles  confidence  has  wrought  What 
impossible  deeds  it  has  helped  to  perform 

19.  "O  no  nothing  at  aU"  answered  the  Captain 

20.  O  yes  don't  I  remember  it 

21.  O  ho    I  know  the  riddle 

22.  O  shame    where  is  thy  blush 

23.  O  horror  horror  horror 

24.  O  stranger    in  such  hour  of  fear 
What  evil  hap  has  brought  thee  here 

25.  There  lies  the  Heroic  Promised  Land  under  that 
Heaven's  light  my  brethren  bloom  the  Happy  Isles — there 
O  there 


GENERAL  PRACTISE 

1.  Grace  go  with  you  sir 

2.  What  all  so  soon  asleep 

3.  "Hush"  muttered  the  woman    "not  so  loud     These 
are  matters  which  must  not  be  overheard" 

4.  Ah  my  good  lord  what  have  I  seen  to-night 

5.  Idle  still  idle     and  in  time  of  war 

6.  That  assistance  alas  for  them  was  only  diplomatic 

7.  I  sir    ne'er  a  whit 


THE  EXCLAMATION  POINT  77 

8.  However  Heaven  be  praised  he  had  got  happily 
through  his  voyage  and  had  reached  Rome  without  any  cross 
accident 

9.  Yet  how  little  do  they  require  in  return 

10.  Words  are  hard  are  importunate  but  how  much 
harder  are  the  importunate  events  they  foreshadow 

11.  "What  do  you  mean  by  that"  "What  do  I  mean  by 
that     Listen" 

12.  How  much  grows  everywhere  if  we  do  but  wait 

13.  How  poor  this  world  would  be  without  its  graves 
without  the  memory  of  its  mighty  dead  Only  the  voiceless 
speak  forever 

14.  Fortunate  mortal    the  tide  of  time  has  tvuned  for  you 

15.  How  like  a  fawning  publican  he  looks 

16.  "A  pretty  idea  truly  to  take  in  a  man  like  that  and 
to  lodge  him  close  to  one's  self" 

17.  God  forbid  that  I  should  have  stained  my  soul  with 
the  guilt  of  dragging  them  from  their  friends  and  families 

18.  What  a  long  night  is  this 

19.  How  madam  my  approbation  My  approbation  of 
such  a  choice      Never 

20.  We  all  followed  him  several  paces  from  the  door  call- 
ing after  him  "Good  luck  good  luck"  till  we  could  see  him 
no  longer 

21.  When  the  birds  build  their  nests  they  have  access  to 
the  same  materials  but  what  different  selections  they  make 
and  how  far  apart  their  methods  are 

22.  We  may  make  great  eyes  if  we  like  and  say  of  one  on 
whom  the  sun  shines  What  luck  presides  over  him  but  we 
know  that  the  law  of  the  Universe  is  one  for  each  and  all 

23.  The  happy  path     What  said  he  naught 
Of  war  of  battle  to  be  fought 

Of  guarded  pass 

24.  Alas  that  folly  and  falsehood  should  be  so  hard  to 
grapple  with 

25.  Wilt  thou  have  music     hark 

Apollo  plays  and  twenty  caged  nightingales  do  sing 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  DASH 

The  dash  and  the  parentheses  have  their  separate 
offices.  The  dash  serves  to  mdicate  a  sudden  change 
in  the  construction  or  in  the  sentiment,  or  an  expan- 
sion of  the  thought  already  expressed.  An  inter- 
polation which  is  distinctly  separate  in  sense  or 
construction  from  the  sentence  in  which  it  occurs, 
and  which  could  be  constructed  as  an  independent 
sentence,  should  be  enclosed  within  parentheses. 


1.    Change  In  th«  Construotien  or  S«ntim«nt.    De- 
tached Expressiona. 

The  dash  is  used,  to  indicate  a  sudden  change  in 
the  construction  or  in  the  sentiment;  to  denote  hesi- 
tation or  faltering  on  the  part  of  the  speaker;  when  a 
sentence  breaks  off  abruptly  or  is  apparently  com- 
pleted; also  when  a  sentence  takes  an  unexpected 
or  epigrammatic  turn  at  the  end. 

The  spectroscope  shows  the  atmosphere  of  Saturn  to  be — 
no  matter,  I  have  forgotten  what;  but  it  was  not  pure  nitro- 
gen, at  any  rate. — Holmes:  Over  the  Teacups. 

I  take — eh!  oh!  as  much  exercise — eh! — as  I  can,  Madame 
Gout.     You  know  my  sedentary  habits. 

He  has  lost  wealth,  home,  friends — everything  but  honor. 
(78) 


THE  DASH  79 

This  world  is  full  of  fools,  and  not  to  see  one  pass 
You  must  shut  yourself  up  alone  and — break  your  looking- 
glass. — ^La  Monnaye. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  But  success  would  never  come  in  that  way  would  it 
ever  come  at  all 

2.  Disgrace  shame  parting  there  was  no  fear  of  them  any 
longer 

3.  That  yearning  look  I  can  never  forget  it 

4.  What  story  had  he  told  about  his  previous  life  about 
his  father 

5.  Leonidas  Cato  Phocion  Tell  one  peculiarity  marks  them 
all  they  dared  and  suffered  for  their  native  land 

6.  They  sounded  they  dived  in  vain 

7.  But  you  practice  in  order  to  be  able  to  prove  what 

8.  They  waited  one  two  three  five  minutes  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  but  nothing  came 

9.  Notre  Dame  had  been  to  him  successively  as  he  grew 
up  the  egg  the  nest  his  house  his  country  the  world 

10.  "Why  why  it's  my  birthday"  I  exclaimed 

11.  With  one  hand  the  monster  grasped  his  knife  and  with 
the  other  ah  cousin  with  the  other  he  seized  a  ham 

12.  "You  mean  that  I  there  is  something  that  I  lack" 

13.  These  two  words  are  but  however  they  are  not  very 
important 

14.  "Well  my  lord  You  think  my  brother  a"  "A  king's 
son  madam"  he  said  demurely 

15.  "You  have  said  your  say  in  two  words  but  I  cannot 
answer  in  two  words  because  excuse  me  a  moment" 

16.  And  yet  the  cupola  didn't  fall  only  the  lantern 

17.  Men  will  wrangle  for  religion  write  for  it  fight  for  it 
but  not  live  for  it 

18.  Nearly  all  strong  men  both  intellectual  and  physical 
overrate  their  strength  and  think  they  can  stand  anything 
any  amount  of  work  until  they  break  down 


80  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

19.  Day  creeps  after  day  each  full  of  facts  dull  strange 
despised  things  that  we  cannot  enough  despise  call  heavy 
prosaic  and  desert 

20.  My  conviction  of  principles  that  is  great  part  of  my 
possession 

21.  A  whole  leisure  Saturday  afternoon  was  before  him 
pure  gold  without  alloy 

22.  There  will  be  no  regulation  length  to  my  reports  no 
attempt  to  make  out  a  certain  number  of  pages 

23.  We  need  not  discuss  whether  this  should  be  called 
idealism  a  name  which  would  drive  many  clever  people  from 
its  acceptance 

24.  Life  misfortune  isolation  abandonment  poverty  are  the 
fields  of  battle  which  have  their  heroes  obscure  heroes  who 
are  sometimes  grander  than  the  heroes  who  win  renown 

25.  The  ill-timed  truth  we  might  have  kept 
Who  knows  how  sharp  it  pierced  and  stung 


2.    P«r«nthetio«l     Expressions.        Explanatory 
Words  and    Phrasos. 

The  dash  is  used  before  and  after  a  parenthetical 
expression  that  is  too  much  detached  from  the  sen- 
tence to  take  commas,  but  which  is  necessary  to  the 
full  meaning  of  the  sentence.  Words  which  have  no 
necessary  connection  with  the  sentence  in  which  they 
occur  are  enclosed  within  parentheses. 

There  are  times — they  only  can  understand  who  have  known 
them — when  passion  is  dumb. 

Jf  the  parenthetical  expression  itself  requires  a 
Doint,  it  should  be  placed  before  the  dast  lash. 

Keligion — who  can  doubt  it? — is  the  noblest  of  themes  for 
the  exercise  of  the  intellect. 


THE  DASH  81 

The  comma  is  no  longer  used  with  the  dash,  to  set 
off  parenthetical  expressions,  as  the  tendency  is  to 
dispense  with  all  unnecessary  punctuation. 

The  dash  is  used  before  words  or  expressions 
which  are  repeated  by  way  of  explanation  or  for  the 
sake  of  emphasis. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  dream — never. 
You  speak  like  a  boy — like  a  boy  who  thinks  the  old 
gnarled  oak  can  be  twisted  as  easily  as  the  young  sapling. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  The  best  the  pleasantest  and  the  most  rewarding  and 
also  the  cheapest  way  of  passing  the  time  is  to  be  busy  with 
one's  work 

2.  It  is  indeed  one  of  the  highest  rewards  of  success  if  one 
understands  what  success  means  to  be  in  the  way  of  putting 
others  on  the  same  road 

3.  This  vessel  battered  as  it  was  for  the  sea  had  handled 
it  roughly  produced  a  fine  effect  as  it  entered  the  roads 

4.  Even  to  a  successful  dramatist  and  Cervantes  tells  us 
that  his  plays  were  favorably  received  writing  for  the  stage 
was  not  a  lucrative  profession 

5.  And  high  on  a  pillar  in  the  centre  of  the  place  a  vener- 
able pillar  fetched  from  the  church  of  San  Giovanni  stood 
Donatello's  stone  statue  of  "Plenty" 

6.  Byzantine  coatings  were  chiefly  of  metal  gold  silver 
and  copper-gilt  into  which  jewels  were  introduced 

7.  My  own  first  impressions  of  Japan  Japan  as  seen  in  the 
white  sunshine  of  a  perfect  spring  day  had  doubtless  much  in 
common  with  the  average  of  such  experiences 

8.  Tito  had  an  innate  love  of  reticence  let  us  say  a  talent 
for  it  which  acted  as  other  impulses  do  without  any  conscious 
motive 


82  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

9.  Who  is  80  foolish  I  b^  everybody's  pardon  as  tO  ex- 
pect to  see  any  such  thing 

10.  I  had  his  promise  I  should  have  had  his  bond  that  my 
collection  should  always  bear  my   name 

11.  For  such  a  death  awaits  you  as  it  did  what  was  the 
man's  name  Crinis 

12.  It  strikes  at  the  best  sometimes  alas  the  only  refuge 
and  consolation  amidst  the  distresses  and  afflictions  of  the 
world 

13.  Thus  some  who  have  seen  a  philosopher  and  having 
heard  one  speak  as  Euphrates  speaks  and  who  can  speak  as 
he  does  they  wish  to  be  philosophers  themselves 

14.  Professional  real  estate  men  brokers  operators  and 
builders  r^ard  this  development  with  the  greatest  satisfac- 
tion 

15.  Rentals  include  heat  elevator  both  passenger  and 
freight  and  janitor's  se^^^ice 

16.  The  paramount  interest  of  every  state  that  which 
comprehends  every  other  is  security 

17.  They  are  going  to  repeal  it  as  I  told  you  mark  my 
words  at  a  season  of  distress 

18.  Upon  such  a  character  and  such  a  career  (Joseph 
Jefferson's)  the  voice  of  detraction  never  silent  as  to  any 
meritorious  person  could  say  but  little 

19.  Unsuccessful  attempts  have  been  repeatedly  made  to 
show  that  the  unamiable  characters  they  are  not  many  in 
Don  Quixote  are  real  personages 

20.  He  is  very  much  like  other  persons  in  this  respect  very 
much  like  you  and  me 

21.  And  you  do  you  no  longer  think  of  it 

22.  And  what  poetry  if  we  probe  to  the  root  of  things  what 
poetry  is  there  that  does  not  borrow  nearly  all  of  its  charm 
neariy  all  of  its  ecstasy  from  elements  that  are  wholly  external 

23.  Never  is  virtue  left  without  sympathy  sympathy 
dearer  and  tenderer  for  the  misfortune  that  has  tried  it  and 
proved  its  fidelity 

24.  Their  houses  are  built  and  furnished  in  all  possible  and 


THE  DASH  83 

impossible  styles  and  yet  you  will  find  in  them  hardly  a  dozen 
good  books 

25.  Shall  I  who  was  bom  I  might  almost  say  but  certainly 
brought  up  in  the  tent  of  my  father  that  most  excellent  gen- 
eral shall  I  the  conqueror  of  Spain  and  Gaul  and  not  only 
of  the  Alpine  nation  but  of  the  Alps  themselves  shall  I  com- 
pare myself  with  this  half-year  captain 


3.    A  Series   of  Clauses    Dependent   upon  a  Con- 
cluding Clause.    Ellipses. 

A  series  of  phrases  or  clauses  having  a  common 
dependence  upon  a  concluding  clause  is  separated 
from  the  latter  by  a  dash. 

Fonnerly,  both  a  comma  and  a  dash  were  employed 
before  concluding  phrases,  but,  so  far  as  possible, 
double  punctuation  is  now  avoided. 

To  pull  down  the  false  and  to  build  up  the  true,  and  to 
uphold  what  there  is  of  true  in  the  old — let  this  be  our  en- 
deavor. 

The  dash  is  used  to  indicate  the  ellipsis  of  such 
words  as  namely,  that  is,  etc.  In  short  sentences  a 
comma  takes  the  place  of  the  dash. 

The  four  greatest  names  in  English  poetry  are  almost  the 
first  we  come  to — Chaucer,  Spenser,  Shakespeare,  and  Milton. 

He  has  happily  united  the  two  most  familiar  emblems  of 
life,  the  short  journey  and  the  inn. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  Pure  air  pure  water  the  inspection  of  unhealthy  habita- 
tions the  adulteration  of  food  these  and  many  kindred  matters 
may  be  legitimately  dealt  with  by  the  legislature 


84  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

2.  To  know  a  man  by  his  friends  by  his  books  by  what 
delights  him  in  recreation  or  satisfies  him  in  sport  by  his 
standards  of  success  and  his  ideals  in  life  these  are  the  true 
tests  for  those  who  are  wise  and  charitable  enough  to  apply 
them 

3.  True  education  rests  on  these  two  foundation  stones 
love  of  truth  and  courage  for  the  right 

4.  This  is  the  curse  of  evil  conduct  that  it  ever  brings 
forth  more  evil  conduct 

5.  Here  is  the  solemn  and  tragic  fact  which  lies  behind  all 
human  life  that  which  we  have  done  we  can  never  change 

6.  When  that  befalls  when  the  well-mixed  man  is  bom  with 
eyes  not  too  dull  nor  too  good  with  fire  enough  and  earth 
enough  capable  of  impressions  from  all  things  and  not  too 
susceptible  then  no  gift  need  be  bestowed  on  him  he  brings 
with  him  fortune  followers  love  power 

7.  He  is  a  planter  a  miner  a  shipbuilder  a  machinist  a 
musician  a  steam-engine  a  geometer  an  astronomer  a  per- 
suader of  men  a  lawyer  a  builder  of  towns  and  each  of  these 
by  dint  of  a  wonderful  method  or  series  that  resides  in  him 
and  enables  him  to  work  on  the  material  elements 

8.  This  special  make  of  tiles  is  in  every  way  satisfactory 
neat  strong  and  not  costly 

9.  The  early  presses  required  two  workmen  one  to  ink  the 
type  and  one  to  pull  or  to  print 

10.  Plantin  published  books  in  the  vernacular  of  the  people 
in  French  German  Flemish  Dutch  English  Spanish  and 
Italian 

11.  Great  perils  have  this  characteristic  that  they  bring 
to  light  the  fraternity  of  strangers 

12.  There  are  two  words  which  ought  never  to  be  heard 
by  children  'luck'  and  'chance' 

13.  Whilst  thus  the  world  exists  for  the  mind  whilst  thus 
the  man  is  ever  invited  inward  into  shining  realms  of  knowl- 
edge and  power  by  the  shoi^TS  of  the  world  which  interpret 
to  him  the  infinitude  of  his  own  consciousness  it  becomes  the 
office  of  a  just  education  to  awaken  him  to  a  knowledge  of 
this  fact 


THE  DASH  86 

14.  If  he  is  jovial  if  he  is  mercurial  if  he  is  great-hearted 
a  cunning  artificer  a  strong  commander  a  potent  ally  ingenious 
useful  elegant  witty  prophet  diviner  society  has  need  of  all 
these 

15.  The  Egyptians  knew  what  a  monument  should  be 
simple  noble  durable 

16.  She  did  everything  about  the  house  made  the  beds 
did  the  washing  the  cooking  and  everything  else 

17.  Thus  much  only  can  be  safely  affirmed  that  the  race 
like  all  good  races  is  a  mixed  one 

18.  We  are  fighting  a  momentous  battle  at  desperate  odds 
one  against  a  thousand 

19.  I  have  been  here  a  few  days  only  perhaps  a  weeek 

20.  Grip  conquers  the  world  the  faculty  of  sticking  and 
hanging  on  when  everybody  else  lets  go 

21.  Shall  I  say  further  that  the  Orientals  excel  in  costly 
arts  in  the  cutting  of  precious  stones  in  working  in  gold  in 
weaving  on  hand-looms  costly  stufifs  from  silk  and  wool  in 
spices  and  dyes  and  drugs  henna  otto  and  camphor  and  in  the 
training  of  slaves  elephants  and  camels  things  which  are  the 
poetry  and  superlative  of  commerce 

22.  Scorn  of  hypocrisy  pride  of  personal  character  elegance 
of  taste  and  of  manners  and  pursuit  a  boundless  ambition  of 
the  intellect  willingness  to  sacrifice  personal  interests  for  the 
integrity  of  the  character  all  these  they  have 

23.  Now  this  was  the  first  and  chief  peculiarity  of  Socrates 
never  to  be  irritated  in  argument  never  to  utter  anything 
abusive  anything  insulting  but  to  bear  with  abusive  persons 
and  to  put  an  end  to  the  quarrel 

24.  I  see  that  sensible  men  and  conscientious  men  all  over 
the  world  were  of  one  religion  the  religion  of  well-doing  and 
daring  men  of  sturdy  truth  men  of  integrity  and  feeling  for 
others 

25.  The  clear  conception  outrunning  the  deductions  of 
logic  the  high  purpose  the  firm  resolve  the  dauntless  spirit 
speaking  on  the  tongue  beaming  from  the  eye  informing 
every  feature  and  urging  the  whole  man  onward  to  his  object 


86  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

this  this  is  eloquence  or  rather  it  is  something  greater  and 
higher  than  all  eloquence  it  is  action  noble  sublime  godlike 
action 


4.    Omission  of  Letters  and  Figures. 

A  double-length  dash  is  used  to  indicate  the  omis- 
sion of  letters  from  a  word,  when  it  is  not  desired  to 
give  the  word  in  full. 

A  reception  was  held  last  evening  at  the  residence  of  Mrs. 
L ,  on  B Street. 

A  short  dash  is  used  to  indicate  the  omission  of 
figures:    1890-91. 

When  used  between  two  numbers,  the  dash  shows 
that  the  numbers  given  and  all  the  intervening  ones 
are  in  a  series;   Pages  339-400;   Matthew  iv:   5-10. 

In  writing  dates,  only  the  figures  denoting  the 
century  should  be  dropped:  189&-97.  The  full 
figures  should  be  used  in  giving  pages  or  numbers. 


6.    Sideheads  and  Extracts. 

The  period  and  dash  are  mod  aft/^r  a  ftidrhpad,  that 
is,  a  heading  at  the  beginning  of  a  paragraph.  These 
marks  are  placed  also  after  an  extract,  when  the  name 
of  the  author  or  the  work  from  which  the  extract  is 
taken  follows  in  the  same  paragraph.  In  such  cases, 
the  dash  is  an  ornamental  mark  used  by  the  printer. 

The  Age  of  Elizabeth. — Lectures  on  the  History  of  English 
Literature,  from  the  Revival  of  Learning  to  Milton,  exclusive 
of  the  Drama. 


THE  DASH  87 

There  is  no  genius  in  life  like  the  genius  of  energy  and 
mdustry. — D.  G.  Mitchell. 

1.  Lecture  I  The  Development  of  Language  Oral 
and  Written 

2.  Lecture  II  Ancient  Systems  of  Writing  Derivation 
of  the  English  Alphabet 

3.  Paper  History  Manufacture  Staples  Machine-made 
Paper     Hand-made  Paper 

4.  History  of  the  Printing-Press    Early  Presses  of  Wood 
Iron  Presses     Cylinder  Presses     The  Continuous  Web 

5.  Bookbinding    Ancient  Covers     Medieval  Bindings 
Commercial  Bindings 

6.  A  grain  of  water  is  known  to  have  electric  relations 
equivalent  to  a  very  powerful  flash  of  lightning      Faraday 

7.  Manifest  virtues  procure  reputation  occult  ones  for- 
tune    Lord  Bacon 

8.  There  is  one  world  common  to  all  who  are  awake  but 
each  sleeper  betakes  himself  to  one  of  his  own    Heraclitus 

9.  Elevation  of  sentiment  refining  and  inspiring  the  man- 
ners must  really  take  the  place  of  every  distinction  whether 
of  material  power  or  of  intellectual  gifts    Emerson 

10.  *Tis  time  to  fe«ir  when  tyrants  seem  to  kiss   Pericles 


6.  Change  of  Subject  in  the  same  Paragraph. 

A  dash  is  used  to  denote  a  change  of  subject  in 
a  paragraph,  when,  from  want  of  space,  a  separate 
paragraph  cannot  be  made.  It  is  so  employed  in 
dictionaries  and  encyclopedias.  Questions  and  an- 
swers when  given  in  the  same  paragraph  are  separated 
by  the  dash. 

Where  was  Napoleon  bom? — In  the  Island  of  Corsica. — 
What  sobriquet  was  bestowed  upon  him  in  France? — "The 
Little  Corporal." 


88  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

The  dash  is  a  mark  which  should  be  used  sparingly. 
It  should  not  be  made  to  take  the  place  of  other  punc- 
tuation marks  nor  to  separate  complete  sentences. 
Its  frequent  use  tends  to  disfigure  a  page  either  of 
manuscript  or  of  printed  matter. 


GENERAL  PRACTISE 

1.  Bad  times  what  are  bad  times 

2.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  thoughtful  man  needs  no  armor 
but  this  concentration 

3.  But  there  may  have  been  even  in  early  times  some 
exceptions  to  general  custom  exceptions  made  by  neces- 
sity 

4.  Through  this  selection  of  a  favored  few  a  higher  type 
of  life  or  at  all  events  a  type  in  which  there  is  more  life  is 
attained  in  many  cases  but  not  always 

5.  East  and  West  the  fundamental  parts  of  himian  nature 
the  emotional  bases  of  it  are  much  the  same 

6.  These  letters  are  or  were  real  letters 

7.  Work  is  certainly  one  great  factor  of  human  life  indeed 
in  one  sense  the  greatest 

8.  Perhaps  ten  thousand  twenty  thousand  years  ago  all 
humanity  so  worshiped  the  Lord  of  Day 

9.  So  speaks  the  heart  Mr.  Mami's  version  is  that  of  the 
politician 

10.  We  have  have  we  not  a  real  relation  to  markets  and 
brokers  and  currency  and  coin 

11.  And  the  cathedral  was  not  only  society  to  him  it  was 
the  world  it  was  all  nature 

12.  And  she  had  her  way  with  suspicious  ease  if  she  had 
had  patience  to  observe  it 

13.  There  are  always  plenty  of  young  ignorant  people 
though  some  of  them  are  seven  and  some  of  them  seventy 


THE  DASH  89 

years  old  wanting  peremptorily  instruction  but  in  the  usual 
averages  of  parishes  only  one  person  that  is  qualified  to 
give  it 

14.  Besides  it  was  the  day  after  a  holiday  a  day  of  disgust 
for  everybody 

15.  This  class  of  goods  is  now  being  sold  at  $12.50  per  case 
that  is  combination  cases  of  twelve  quarts  and  twelve  half- 
pints 

16.  All  gone  all  dead  before  him 

17.  To  make  the  young  natives  of  Bengal  familiar  with 
Milton  and  Adam  Smith  to  substitute  geography  astronomy 
and  surgery  for  the  dotages  of  the  Brahminical  superstition 
or  for  the  imperfect  science  of  Ancient  Greece  transfused 
through  Arabian  expositions  this  was  a  scheme  reserved  to 
crown  the  beneficent  administration  of  a  far  more  virtuous 
ruler 

18.  It  is  difficult  to  comprehend  it  is  almost  incredible 
that  a  force  so  vital  a  life  so  beautiful  a  beneficence  so  precious 
as  that  of  Joseph  Jefferson  has  come  to  an  end 

19.  A  thousand  looks  are  cast  from  the  crowd  upon  every 
face  in  the  gallery  a  thousand  muttered  repetitions  are  made 
of  every  name 

20.  A  man's  habits  do  not  always  indicate  his  character 
in  fact  he  may  possess  many  good  habits  and  still  be  at  heart 
a  veritable  scoundrel 

21.  Character  in  handwriting  is  more  personal  oftentimes 
than  the  person  himself  as  frequently  in  fact  nearly  always 
there  is  less  change  in  the  handwriting  from  year  to  year  than 
in  the  features  of  the  individual 

22.  He  is  moral  we  say  it  with  Marcus  Aurelius  and  with 
Kant  whose  aim  or  motive  may  become  a  universal  rule 
binding  on  all  intelligent  beings 

23.  He  was  pronounced  a  most  useful  citizen  and  a  right 
good  man  when  he  was  asleep 

24.  Hast  thou  but  how  shall  I  ask  a  question  which  must 
bring  tears  into  so  many  eyes 

25.  She  said  that  he  had  a  saucy  eye  which  was  not  denied 
and  was  too  masterful 


00  EXERCISES  TN  PUNCTUATION 

26.  It  seemed  a  long  while  to  them  it  was  but  a  moment 

27.  He  cannot  flatter  he 

An  honest  mind  and  plain 
He  must  speak  the  truth 

28.  That  patriotism  which  catches  its  inspirations  from 
the  immortal  God  and  leaving  at  an  immeasurable  distance 
below  all  lesser  groveling  personal  interests  and  feelings 
animates  and  prompts  to  deeds  of  self-sacrifice  of  valor  of 
devotion  and  of  death  itself  that  is  public  virtue  that  is  the 
noblest  the  sublimest  of  all  virtues 

29.  The  afTections  which  spread  beyond  ourselves  and 
stretch  far  into  futurity  the  workings  of  mighty  passions 
which  seem  to  arm  the  soul  with  an  almost  superhuman 
energy  the  innocent  and  irrepressible  joy  of  infancy  the  bloom 
and  buoyancy  and  dazzling  hopes  of  youth  the  throbbings 
of  the  heart  when  it  first  wakes  to  love  and  dreams  of  a  happi- 
ness too  vast  for  earth  these  are  all  poetical 


CHAPTER  VIII 
MARKS  OF  PARENTHESIS 

1.    Words  which  Break  th«  Unity  of  a  Sontonoa. 

Marks  of  parenthesis  are  used  to  enclose  words 
which  break  the  unity  of  a  sentence  and  which  have 
no  necessary  connection  with  the  sentence  m  which 
they  occur.  They  should  be  used  only  to  enclose 
words  which  are  distinctly  separate  in  sense  or  con- 
struction from  the  sentence. 

The  gentleman  who  has  just  addressed  you  (Mr.  Jeffer- 
son) has  left  little  to  say. 

The  profound  learning  and  philosophical  researches  of  Sir 
William  Jones  (he  was  the  master  of  twenty-eight  languages) 
were  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  his  contemporaries. 

A.B.  {Artium  Baccalaureus)  is  an  abbreviation  meaning 
Bachelor  of  Arts. 

The  interrogation  point  placed  within  parentheses 
is  sometimes  used  to  question  the  truth  or  accuracy 
of  a  statement. 

Aldus  Manutius  went  to  Venice  in  1489  (?). 


2.    Punctuation  within  a  Paranthasis. 

Marks  of  parenthesis   do  not  take  the  place  of 
other  marks  of  punctuation. 
(91) 


92  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

Words  enclosed  within  the  parenthesis  should  be 
punctuated  as  independent  sentences.  A  period  is 
sometimes  required  before  the  last  curve. 

Say  not  in  thine  heart,  Who  shall  ascend  into  Heaven? 
(that  is,  to  bring  Christ  down  from  above;)  or,  Who  shall 
descend  into  the  deep?  (that  is,  to  bring  up  Christ  again  from 
the  dead.)     But  what  saith  it? 

Sometimes  a  whole  sentence,  or  more  than  one 
sentence,  is  parenthetical.  In  such  cases  the  entire 
interpolation,  including  the  final  point,  should  be 
enclosed  within  parentheses.  Each  sentence,  of 
course,   should  begin  with   a  capital. 

A  certain  man  was  sick,  named  Lazarus,  of  Bethany,  the 
town  of  Mary  and  her  sister  Martha.  (It  was  that  Mary 
which  anointed  the  Lord  with  ointment,  and  wiped  his  feet 
with  her  hair,  whose  brother  Lazarus  was  sick.)  Therefore 
his  sisters  sent  unto  Him,  saying,  Lord,  behold  he  whom 
Thou  lovest  is  sick. 


3.    Punctuation  b«fer«  and  after  a  Parenthesis. 

If  no  mark  would  be  required  were  the  parenthesis 
omitted,  no  point  should  be  placed  either  before  the 
first  or  after  the  last  curve. 

For  I  know  that  in  me  (that  is,  in  my  flesh)  dwelleth  no 
good  thing. — St.  Paul. 

If  a  mark  is  required  after  the  portion  of  the  sen- 
tence preceding  the  parenthesis,  it  should  be  placed 
after  the  second  curve. 


MARKS  OF  PARENTHESIS  93 

I  cite  this,  not  that  it  is  the  only  instance  (for  there  are 
many  others),  but  because  the  violation  in  this  particular 
is  too  notorious  and  palpable  to  be  denied. 

Just  at  that  moment  the  candle  went  out,  and  the  brother- 
in-law,  looking  through  a  chink  in  the  door,  saw  the  two  dark 
men  stealing  up-stairs;  one  anned  with  a  dagger,  that  long 
(about  ten  inches) ;  the  other  carrying  a  chopper,  a  sack,  and 
a  spade. 


When  the  parenthesis  is  a  question  or  an  exclama- 
tion, the  comma  is  placed  before  the  first  curve. 

While  a  Christian  desires  the  approbation  of  his  fellow- 
men,  (and  why  should  he  not  desire  it?)  he  desires  to  receive 
their  good-will  by  honorable  means. 

Let  me  be  understood,  however,  distinctly  as  not  meaning 
to  say  that  I  dread  war  in  a  just  cause,  (and  in  no  other  way 
may  it  be  the  lot  of  this  country  ever  to  engage!)  from  a  dis- 
trust of  the  strength  of  the  country  to  commence  it,  or  of  her 
resources  to  maintain  it. — George  Canning:  Aid  to  Por- 
tugal. 


4.    On«  Parenthetical  or  Explanatory  Expression 
within  Another. 

When  one  parenthetical  or  explanatory  expression 
occurs  within  another,  one  may  be  set  off  by  dashes 
and  the  other  enclosed  within  marks  of  parenthesis, 
according  to  the  meaning  or  construction  of  the  sen- 
tence. 

I  wish  you  would  send  me  one  one-ounce  vial — that  is,  if 
the  acid  referred  to  (I  think  I  quote  it  correctly)  is  put  up  in 
ounce  vials. 


94  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

So  far  as  possible,  parentheses  should  be  avoided. 
In  many  cases  the  thought  can  be  conveyed  by  a 
different  construction  of  the  sentence.  The  dash, 
however,  should  not  be  used  as  a  cover  for  ignorance 
of  the  proper  marks  to  be  used,  nor  to  set  off  all  kinds 
of  parenthetical  expressions. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  The  goods  will  be  shipped  to-morrow  Wednesday  15th 
inst  and  should  reach  you  by  the  20th 

2.  Such  a  capital  is  a  necessity  with  all  companies  whether 
mutual  or  not  organized  in  New  York 

3.  You  can  send  the  insertion  to  us  direct  or  through  your 
agency  if  you  employ  one  just  as  you  desire 

4.  We  will  send  you  Harper's  Bazar  from  May  5th  1905 
to  January  1st  1906  eight  months  for  $2.00  R^ular  price 
$4.00  a  year 

5.  In  an  account  not  a  balance  sheet  the  words  'to'  and 
*by'  should  always  be  inserted 

6.  I  will  mail  you  full  ptarticulars  as  to  the  cost  for  each 
year  for  twenty  years  if  you  will  send  me  the  ages  birthdays 
preferable  of  yourself  and  partner. 

7.  Few  men  can  be  trusted  i  e  scarcely  any  is  practically 
equivalent  to  the  negative  statement  Most  men  are  not  to 
be  trusted 

8.  Mr  Fox  afterwards  Lord  Holland  s^d  he  must  have 
the  Treasury  he  had  served  up  to  it  and  would  have  it 

9.  As  the  purchase  price  is  to  be  paid  although  the  ques- 
tion does  not  state  that  it  was  paid  due  provision  must  be 
made  in  accordance  therewith 

10.  Some  of  the  worst  bores  to  use  plain  language  we  ever 
meet  with  are  recognized  as  experts  of  high  grade  in  their 
respective  departments 


MARKS  OF  PARENTHESIS  95 

11.  He  knows  nothing  of  your  peril  and  Berwick  not  Wark 
is  the  apple  of  his  eye 

12.  When  Saul  was  most  energetic  against  the  disciples 
Actsix   :  1,  2  the  turning-point  in  his  life  was  at  hand 

13.  The  Egyptian  styJe  of  architecture  see  Dr.  Pocock  not 
his  discourses  but  his  prints  was  apparently  the  mother  of 
the  Greek 

14.  Then  and  there  amid  the  mists  of  November  which  the 
Scots  who  live  mostly  in  fogs  care  little  about  he  with  his 
force  came  down  into  the  Merse. 

15.  Pepin  Le  Bref  became  King  of  France  in  752  A  D 

16.  Henry  IV  of  France  1589-1610  devoted  much  atten- 
tion to  the  continuation  of  the  Louvre 

17.  Of  the  libraries  formed  of  brick  tablets  the  great 
national  library  of  Assurbanipal  Greek  Sardanapulus  was 
the  most  famous 

18.  Things  themselves  materials  are  indifferent  but  the  use 
of  them  is  not  indifferent 

19.  To  whom  then  does  the  contemplation  of  these  matters 
philosophical  inquiries  belong 

20.  While  they  wish  to  please  and  why  should  they  not  wish 
it  they  disdain  dishonorable  means 

21.  If  a  revolution  which  God  avert  were  to  drive  us  into 
exile  and  to  cast  us  on  a  foreign  shore  we  should  expect  at 
least  to  be  pardoned  by  generous  men  for  stubborn  loyalty 
and  unseasonable  fidelity  to  the  laws  and  government  of  our 
fathers 

22.  Consider  and  may  the  consideration  sink  deep  into 
your  hearts  the  fatal  consequences  of  a  wicked  life 

23.  Not  a  few  are  the  incitements  of  the  working  classes 
would  that  they  were  greater  to  the  accumulation  of 
property 

24.  Swift  in  the  most  exquisite  piece  of  irony  in  the  world 
his  argument  against  the  abolition  of  Christianity  uses  the 
language  of  those  shallow  atheistical  coxcombs  whom  his 
satire  was  intended  to  scourge 


96  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

25.  Henry  Estienne  was  bom  in  1460  (Question  the 
statement.) 

26.  The  next  day  we  were  shown  over  the  building  by  Mr 
Jones  he  has  full  power  in  the  absence  of  the  manager  It 
was  an  interesting  visit 

27.  The  air  was  mild  as  summer  all  com  was  off  the  ground 
and  the  sky-larks  were  singing  aloud     by  the  way  I  saw  not 
one  at  Keswick  perhaps  because  the  place  abounds  in  birds  of 
prey 

28.  And  that  unmentionable  cause  of  her  distress  Madame 
de  Vionnet     Can't  we  almost  hear  "tough"  applied  to  her 

29.  In  this  catalogue  only  the  prices  made  by  the  pub- 
lishers themselves  are  given  retail  if  retail  in  the  first  column 
net  wholesale  if  net  in  the  second  colunm 

30.  But  it  is  difficult  to  mingle  and  to  bring  together  these 
two  things  the  carelessness  of  him  who  is  affected  by  the 
matter  or  things  about  him  and  the  firmness  of  him  who  has 
no  regard  for  it 


CHAPTER  IX 

BRACKETS 

Words  enclosed  within  marks  of  parenthesis  are  a 
part  of  the  original  matter,  that  is,  they  are  explana- 
tions given  by  the  writer  or  speaker.  Brackets  are 
used  to  enclose  extraneous  matter,  or  the  words  of 
the  reporter  or  editor  or  of  some  person  other  than 
the  speaker  or  writer. 

1.  Extraneous  Matter. 

Brackets  are  used  to  enclose  all  extraneous  matter, 
such  as  interpolations,  corrections,  criticisms,  or  ex- 
planations, made  by  an  editor,  or  by  a  writer  in  a 
quotation  from  another  person. 

Few  books  have  been  perused  by  me  with  greater  pleasure 
than  his  [Watt's]  "Improvement  of  the  Mind."— Dr.  S. 
Johnson. 

But  if  you  ask  me  how  you  will  fare  [in  Rome]  I  can  tell 
you:  If  you  have  right  opinions,  you  will  fare  well;  if  they 
are  false,  you  will  fare  ill. 

The  bubble  has  [is]  burst. 

K.  C.  H.    Knight  Commander  of  [the  Order  of]  Hanover. 

2.  Reports  of  Speeches. 

In  reports  of  speeches,  names  of  persons  referred 
to  by  the  writer  of  the  report  and  exclamations  of 
(97) 


98  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

approbation  and  disapprobation  are  enclosed  within 
brackets. 

In  doing  so,  I  agree  with  my  honorable  friend  [Mr.  Canning] 
that  it  would,  in  any  case,  be  impossible  to  separate  the 
present  discussion  from  the  former  crimes  and  atrocities  of 
the  French  Revolution. 

We  have  met  for  the  freest  discussion  of  these  resolutions, 
and  the  eventa  which  gave  rise  to  them.  [Cries  of  "Ques- 
tion," "Hear  him,"  "Go  on,"  "No  gagging,"  etc.] 

An  interpolation  made  by  the  writer  in  matter 
already  enclosed  within  marks  of  parenthesis  should 
be  placed  within  brackets. 

They  have  given  way  to  the  absolute  power  of  one  man, 
concentrating  in  himself  all  the  authority  of  the  state,  and 
differing  from  other  monarchs  only  in  this,  that  (as  my  hon- 
orable friend  [Mr.  Canning]  truly  stated  it)  he  wields  a  sword 
of  a  sceptre. — William  Pitt:  Refusal  to  Negotiate. 


3.    Printed  Dramas. 

In  printed  dramas,  brackets  are  used  to  enclose 
stage  directions,  and,  in  single  form,  to  indicate  the 
entrance  and  departure  of  certain  characters. 

Shylock.     [Aside.]    How  like  a  fawning  publican  he  looks! 

Lennox.    May't  please  your  highness,  sit. 

[The  ghost  of  Banquo  enters,  and  sits  in 
Macbeth's  place. 

[Various  women  and  Bathsheba  come  slowly  on  in  the 
gallery  above. 

[Exit  Gadias.     Murmurs  outside. 


BRACKETS  99 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  Mrs  Percival  Spencer  Miss  Mary  Manly  arrived 
yesterday 

2.  Mrs  Thomas  Williams  n^  Watson  sails  for  Europe 
to-morrow 

3.  It  enthusiasm  forced  Fulton's  "Folly"  up  the  Hud- 
son to  demonstrate  to  all  coming  time  the  wisdom  of  the 
inventor 

4.  In  the  eighth  century  B  C  Tyre  had  an  important  trade 
with  Tartessus    Southern  Spain 

5.  The  day  of  their  the  Com  Laws'  entire  abolition 
ought  to  be  a  day  of  jubilee  and  rejoicing  to  every  man 
interested  in  land 

6.  Each  of  the  four  living  writers  had  his     not  their 
writings  recited 

7.  They  conceptions  of  great  minds  are  the  organs  of 
the  time 

8.  Here  in  the  household  is  economy  and  glee  and 
hospitality  and  ceremony  and  frankness  and  calamity  and 
death  and  hope 

9.  I  saw  all    not  all  of    my  friends  once  more 

10.  As  a  writer  of  English  he  Addison  is  not  to  be  com- 
pared except  with  great  peril  to  his  reputation  with  at  least 
a  score  of  men 

11.  Crotchets     the  writer  means  marks  of  parenthesis 
are  used  to  enclose  words  which  have  no  necessary  con- 
nection with  the  sentence 

12.  The  comma  ,  marks  the  smallest  division  of  a 
sentence 

13.  Signed  James  Osgood  Chairman  (Form  used  when 
a  signature  is  typewritten  or  printed.) 

14.  F.  R.  H.  S.  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Historical  or  Horti- 
cultural    Society 

15.  K.  G.  C.  Knight  of  the  Golden  Circle  United 
States     Knight  of  the  Grand  Cross    Great  Britain 


100  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

16.  C.  I.  E.  Companion  of  the  Order  of  the  Indian 
Empire 

17.  The  Senator  from  Missouri  Mr.  Atchison  now  the 
president  of  this  body  made  a  speech  upon  the  bill 

18.  The  learned  gentleman  Mr.  Erskine  has  revived 
and  retailed  all  those  arguments  from  his  own  pamphlet 

19.  My  honorable  friend     Mr.  Whitbread     properly  asked 
Is  not  the  receiver  as  bad  as  the  thief 

20.  I  thought  those  pictured  lips  pointing  to  the  portraits 
in  the  Hall  would  have  broken  into  voice  to  rebuke  the 
recreant  American  the  slanderer  of  the  dead 

21.  We  are  relieved  of  all  the  cares  and  responsibilities  of 
life     We  are  no  longer  Ambassadors     Applause 

22.  You  are  at  liberty  to  connect  them  with  every  context 
and  sequel  and  to  bestow  upon  them  the  mildest  interpreta- 
tions Here  Mr  Erskine  commented  upon  several  of  the 
selected  passages  and  then  proceeded  as  follows 

23.  It  is  this  to  admit  the  middle  class  to  a  large  and  direct 
share  in  the  representation  without  any  violent  shock  to  the 
institutions  of  our  country      Hear    hear 

24.  Now  what  do  you  see  A  system  of  rapid  transit  com- 
plete the  Subway  a  success  provided  the  Croton  River 
does  not  too  often  deluge  it     Laughter  and  applause 

25.  I  hope  as  the  years  go  by  that  more  of  the  personal 
virtue  of  men  such  as  those  to  whom  I  have  referred  will 
find  its  way  into  the  public  service  which  I  am  sure  will 
redound    to    the   great   benefit  of  our  country     Voices 
"Bravo     bravo" 

26.  The  English  people  certainly  were  completely  friendly 
to  us  when  I  went  there  and  it  is  my  great  good  fortune  that 
I  did  not  do  anything  to  disturb  that  friendship  Applause 
and  laughter 

27.  King  John  To  Elinor  So  shall  it  be  your  grace  shall 
stay  behind 

28.  Miriam     Kneeling  by  her    Dear  Martha 

29.  Petruchio  Aside  Hortensio  say  thou  wilt  see  the 
tailor  paid 


BRACKETS  101 

30.  Mardyke      After  a  pause     Now  sirs  that  we  have 

sought  the  Lord  in  prayer 

Each  one  m  silence  will  we  hear  and  judge 

31.  Thaisa  Now  I  know  you  better 

When  we  with  tears  parted  Pentapolis 
The  king  my  father  gave  you  such  a  ring 

Shows  a  ring 

32.  Constance     Here  is  my  throne     bid  kings  come  bow 

to  it 

Seats  herself  on  the  ground 

33.  Lear    True  my  good  boy    Come  bring  us  to  this  hovel 

Exeimt  Lear  and  Kent 


CHAPTER  X 
QUOTATION  MARKS 

1.    Quoted  Words  or  Passogos. 

Marks  of  quotation  are  used  to  enclose  passages 
from  an  author  or  what  is  said  by  another  person,  if 
given  in  his  own  words. 

Goethe  says,  "Man  makes  mistakes  as  long  as  he  struggles." 
Socrates  said,  "I  believe  that  the  soul  is  immortal." 

When  the  syb^tance  only  of  a  passage  is  given,  or 
when  the  .woixls  jof  another  are  not  given  in  the  first 
person,  quotation,  marks  should  not  be  used. 

Socrates  said  thai  ne  believed  in  the  immortality  of  the 
soul. 

Dryden  says  that  we  can  see  Nature  through  the  spectacle 
of  books. 

When  an  extract  is  taken  from  a  work  and  credit 
is  given  to  the  writer  in  the  text  or  in  a  foot-note, 
quotation  marks  are  superfluous. 

When  cited  matter  consists  of  more  than  one  para- 
graph, quotation  marks  are  used  before  each  para- 
graph, but  they  are  not  placed  at  the  end  of  any 
paragraph  except  the  last. 
(102) 


QUOTATION  MARKS  103 

The  following  paragraphs  are  taken  from  an  essay  by- 
Godwin: 

"No  subject  is  of  more  importance  in  the  morality  of  pri- 
vate life  than  that  of  domestic  or  family  Ufe. 

"Every  man  has  his  ill-humors,  his  fits  of  peevishness  and 
exacerbation.  Is  it  better  that  he  should  spend  these  upon 
his  fellow-beings,  or  suffer  them  to  subside  of  themselves? 

If  the  matter  quoted  does  not  begin  a  new  para- 
graph, no  paragraph  should  be  made  before  the  close 
of  the  quotation. 

Words,  phrases,  or  sentences  that  have  acquired 
the  nature  of  sayings  or  proverbs  are  generally  en- 
closed within  quotation  marks. 

You  should  remember  that  "he  can  conquer  who  thinks 
he  can." 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  Sir  Humphry  Davy  said  when  he  was  praised  for  his 
important  discoveries  My  best  discovery  was  Michael  Faraday 

2.  Keep  cool  and  you  command  everything  said  St.  Just 

3.  Say  with  Antoninus  If  the  picture  is  good  who  cares 
who  made  it 

4.  Eat  at  your  table  as  you  would  at  the  table  of  the  king 
said  Confucius 

5.  Our  proverb  of  the  courteous  soldier  reads  An  iron 
hand  in  a  velvet  glove 

6.  William  Blake  the  artist  said  that  he  never  knew  a 
bad  man  in  whom  there  was  not  something  very  good 

7.  Burke  said  that  it  is  not  only  our  duty  to  make  the 
right  known  but  to  make  it  prevalent 


104  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

8.  According  to  Tacitus  great  minds  are  deterred   as 
adulation  increases 

9.  Charles  James  Fox  thought  poetry  the  great  refresh- 
ment of  the  human  mind 

10.  Newton  said  that  there  was  no  contending  against 
facts 

11.  It  is  an  old  proverb  that  Every  people  has  its  prophet 

12.  In  the  words  of  Emerson's  great  phrase  Character  is 
destiny 

13.  It  has  been  written  An  endless  significance  lies  in 
work 

14.  Let  every  young  man  keep  constantly  before  him  the 
maxim  If  I  would  succeed  I  must  work 

15.  Animals  have  been  called  the  dreams  of  nature 

16.  It  was  said  of  an  eminent  Frenchman  that  he  was 
drowned  in  his  talents 

17.  In  Greek  mythology  the  return  of  the  soul  to  God  was 
described  as  a  flask  of  water  broken  in  the  sea 

18.  That  was  her  first  aid  to  the  injured 

19.  You  will  probably  be  offered  something  just  as  good 
at  other  stores 

20.  Some  one  will  call  some  one  who  can  talk  intelligently 
and  who  can  make  a  price  then  and  there  without  letting 
you  know  this  afternoon 

21.  The  pressmen  gave  the  early  cylinder  machines  the 
name  of  type-smashers 

22.  Will  you  please  advise  me  how  you  will  run  this  train 
whether  daily  or  daily  except  Sunday 

23.  I  draw  attention  to  what  I  said  on  a  former  occasion 
that  no  man  can  be  happy  who  is  destitute  of  good  feelings 
and  generous  principles 

24.  What  I  am  now  saying  must  be  regarded  in  the  light 
of  my  previous  statement  that  it  is  always  better  to  be  pre- 
p>ared  for  an  emergency  Ukely  to  arise 

25.  The  saying  of  Marcus  Antoninus  it  were  hard  to  mend 
It  were  well  to  die  if  there  be  gods  and  sad  to  live  if  there  be 
none 


QUOTATION  MARKS  105 

2.    A  Break  in  a  Quotation. 

A  break  in  a  quotation  is  generally  indicated  by 
points  or  periods.  No  quotation  marks  are  used 
except  at  the  beginning  jand  the  end  of  the  whole 
matter  quoted.  If  the  words  following  the  points 
begin  another  paragraph,  they  should  be  preceded 
by  quotation  marks. 

"Ah,  nothing  is  too  late 
Till  the  tired  heart  shall  cease  to  palpitate. 
Cato  learned  Greek  at  eighty. 

****** 

Chaucer,  at  Woodstock  with  the  nightingales, 
At  sixty  wrote  the  Canterbury  Tales. 
Goethe,  at  Weimar,  toiling  to  the  last. 
Completed  Faust  when  eighty  years  were  past. " 


If  a  dash  is  used  to  denote  that  a  quotation  is  not 
complete,  quotation  marks  should  be  placed  after 
the  dash. 

"O  Csesar,  we  who  are  about  to  die 
Salute  you,  was  the  gladiator's  cry 
In  the  arena " 


When  a  break  in  a  quotation  is  made  by  the  intro- 
duction of  descriptive  words,  marks  of  quotation  are 
used  where  the  quoted  words  begin  and  end,  and 
again  where  the  words  quoted  are  recommenced  and 
ended. 

"Let  me  make  the  ballads  of  a  nation,"  said  Fletcher  of 
Saltoun,  "and  I  care  not  who  makes  its  laws." 


105  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  These  islands  he  was  told  are  called  the  Islands  of  the 


2.  Nature  said  Swedenborg  makes  almost  as  much 
demand  on  our  faith  as  miracles  do 

3.  I  speak  now  the  Scrivener  went  on  after  a  pause  of  a 
greater  game  than  chess 

4.  I  have  a  lucky  hand  sir  said  Napoleon  to  his  hesitating 
Chancellor  those  on  whom  I  lay  it  are  fit  for  anything 

5.  Paint  me  as  I  am  said  Oliver  Cromwell  while  sitting  to 
young  Lely  If  you  leave  out  the  scars  and  the  wrinkles 
I  will  not  pay  you  a  shilling 

6.  When  all  is  said  remarks  Goethe  my  life  has  been  noth- 
ing but  care  and  work  I  can  even  say  that  in  my  seventy- 
five  years  I  have  not  had  four  weeks  of  real  happiness 

7.  There  is  but  one  object  says  St.  Augustine  greater 
than  the  soul  and  that  one  is  the  Creator 

8.  I  rise  he  said  to  a  point  of  order 

9.  Art  is  long  says  the  thinker  and  life  is  short 

10.  And  I  says  Bill  who  was  yet  but  four  years  old  love 
every  place  that  my  papa  is  in 

11.  You  are  going  my  boy  said  I  to  London  on  foot  in  the 
manner  Hooker  your  great  ancestor  traveled  there  before 
you 

12.  I  hope  said  Walpole  that  nobody  will  attribute  D'Alem- 
bert's  works  to  me      He  was  in  little  danger 

13.  I  am  not  says  the  man  at  the  top  of  my  condition  to-day 
but  the  favorable  hour  will  come  when  I  can  command  all 
my  powers  and  when  that  will  be  easy  to  do  which  is  at  this 
moment  impossible 

14.  A  little  onward  lend  thy  guiding  hand 
To  these  dark  steps  a  little 

15.  When  the  mind's  free 
The  body's  delicate:  the  tempest  in  my  mind 
Doth  from  my  senses  take  all  feelings  else 


QUOTATION  MARKS  107 

Save  what  beats  there.     Filial  ingratitude  I 
***** 

No,  I  will  weep  no  more.     In  such  a  night 
To  shut  me  out!   Pour  on;   I  will  endure. 

3.    A  Quotation  within  m  Quotation. 

Single  marks  should  be  used  to  enclose  a  quotation 
included  within  another  quotation. 

A  minister  of  some  experience  remarks,  "I  have  heard 
more  than  one  sufferer  say,  *I  am  thankful,  God  is  good  to 
me';  and  when  I  heard  that  I  said  'It  is  good  to  be  afiOicted. '  " 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  The  speaker  went  on  It  is  well  for  us  always  to  remem- 
ber that  all  that  glitters  is  not  gold 

2.  An  eminent  writer  relates  the  following  anecdote 
Madame  Stafil  valued  nothing  but  conversation  When 
they  showed  her  the  beautiful  Lake  Leman  she  exclaimed 
O  for  the  gutter  of  the  Rue  de  Bac  the  street  in  Paris  in  which 
her  house  stood 

3.  Trench  well  says  What  a  lesson  the  word  diligence  con- 
tains The  only  secret  of  true  industry  in  our  work  is  love  of 
that  work 

4.  Emerson  gives  the  following  anecdote  I  remember  to 
have  heard  Mr.  Samuel  Rogers  in  London  relate  among  other 
anecdotes  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  that  a  lady  having 
expressed  in  his  presence  a  passionate  wish  to  witness  a  great 
victory  he  rephed  Madam  there  is  nothing  so  dreadful  as  a 
great  victory  excepting  a  great  defeat 

5.  Emerson  remarks  in  "  Social  Aims  "  One  of  my  friends 
said  in  speaking  of  certain  associates  There  is  not  one  of  them 
but  I  can  offend  at  any  moment 


108  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

4.    Words  Spoken  of  by  Name. 

Words  spoken  of  by  name  are  generally  enclosed 
in  single  quotation  marks :  the  verb  '  to  do ' ;  the  adjec- 
tive 'beaut if ur.  Some  writers  use  double  quotation 
marks  or  italic  type  to  specify  such  words.  In  long 
lists  no  distinguishing  mark  is  considered  necessary. 
The  meaning  would  be  quite  as  clear  in  any  case,  if 
the  words  were  put  simply  in  roman  with  no  enclos- 
ing marks. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  No  one  can  make  the  word  being  full  of  depth  and 
meaning  without  also  giving  new  depth  and  meaning  to  the 
word  doing 

2.  There  are  strange  notions  about  the  word  capital 

3.  I  notice  the  omission  of  the  words  to  and  by  in  the 
heading  of  your  accounts 

4.  Suggests  were  perhaps  a  better  word  than  expreflses 

5.  What  then  seems  to  every  man  is  not  sufficient  for 
determining  what  is 

6.  The  term  genius  when  used  with  emphasis  implies 
imagination 

7.  You  cannot  help  being  delighted  by  such  conditions  or 
feehng  indignant  at  hearing  them  denounced  as  heathen 

8.  It  is  important  that  the  cheese  be  marked  on  top  and 
bottom  with  the  words  Full  Cream 

9.  The  words  Sold  by  are  in  these  proofs  but  will  be  re- 
moved 

10.  One  mark  D  P  Z  we  find  to  be  satisfactory  as  they 
are  of  good  size  smooth  and  round 

11.  The  word  strenuous  is  overworked 

12.  The  word  Shinto  signifies  The  Way  of  the  Gods 


QUOTATION  MARKS  109 

5.    Titles  of  Bookc,  Periodicals,  Pictures,  etc. 

Quotation  marks  are  used  to  enclose  titles  of  books, 
periodicals,  plays,  pictures,  etc. 

One  of  the  best  known  of  the  works  of  Dickens  is  "David 
Copperfield. " 

If  the  title  is  well  known  or  is  used  frequently,  or 
if  many  titles  occur  in  the  same  work,  they  should 
be  printed  in  roman  type  without  quotation  marks. 

The  Iliad,  The  iEneid;  the  Messiah,  the  Creation;  the 
Dance  of  Death. 

Titles  of  books  in  foreign  languages  are  put  by  some 
authors  in  italics;  when  thus  printed  no  quotation 
marks  should  be  used. 

La  Mare  au  Diable;  Die  Rdvber;  La  Divina  Commedia; 
La  Vida  es  Sueno. 

When  reference  is  made  to  characters  found  in 
books  or  plays,  the  names  are  sometimes  put  in  italics. 
This  is  necessary  only  when  the  name  of  the  character 
is  the  same  as  the  title  of  the  work. 

Names  of  vessels,  which  were  at  one  time  either 
enclosed  in  quotation  marks  or  put  in  italic  type, 
are  now  printed  in  roman. 

Neither  italic  letter  nor  quotation  marks  are  really 
needed  to  specify  the  titles  of  books  and  periodicals. 
In  most  cases,  the  title  is  sufficiently  distinguished 
by  the  initial  capital. 


110  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

Practise  Sentences 

1.  The  article  to  which  I  refer  is  signed  Ion  and  may  be 
found  in  The  Liberator  of  December  17th  1852 

2.  Ruskin  in  his  Seven  Lamps  of  Architecture  says  that 
there  is  a  marked  likeness  between  the  virtues  of  man  and 
the  enlightenment  of  the  globe  he  inhabits 

3.  Give  them  Robin  Hood's  ballads  or  Griselda  or  Chevy 
Chase  or  Tam  O'Shanter  and  they  like  these  well  enough 

4.  The  principal  characters  that  Jefferson  chose  were  Rip 
Van  Winkle  Acres  and  Caleb  Plummer 

5.  We  believe  that  a  large  number  of  buyers  can  be  influ- 
enced by  an  advertisement  of  your  goods  in  The  Evening  Post 

6.  We  have  your  letter  of  the  10th  inst  with  regard  to  your 
advertisement  in  The  Age 

7.  Lear  and  Bfacbeth  and  Richard  III  they  know  pretty 
well  without  guide 

8.  The  periodical  will  be  about  the  size  of  The  Century 
Magazine  and  illustrated  handsomely 

9.  Have  you  read  Heam's  Japan 

10.  It  is  a  service  to  our  Republic  to  publish  a  book  that 
can  force  ambitious  young  men  before  they  mount  the  plat- 
form of  the  country  conventions  to  read  Laconic  Apothegms 
and  the  Apoth^ms  of  Great  Conmianders 

11.  Samson  Agonistes  is  one  of  Milton's  finest  works 

12.  The  steamship  Oceanic  sailed  to-day  at  ten  o'clock 

13.  The  Lorraine  reached  this  port  last  night 

14.  The  trip  was  made  in  The  Twentieth  Century  Limited 

15.  The  Oratorio  of  Elijah  was  well  rendered  last  evening 


6.    Position   of  Points  of  Punctuation   Usod   with 
Closing  Quotation  IVlarks. 

The  period  and  the  comma  at  the  close  of  a  quoted 
passage  are  usually  placed  by  compositors  before  or 


QUOTATION  MARKS  111 

rather  under  the  quotation  mark,  whether  they  belong 
only  to  the  quotation  or  to  the  sentence  as  a  whole. 
This  is  probably  done  because  both  these  points  are 
so  small  that  they  seem  isolated  when  placed  outside 
the  closing  quotation  mark.  When  a  quotation  occurs 
at  the  end  of  a  sentence  but  is  only  a  portion  of  that 
sentence,  the  mark  needed  to  punctuate  the  entire 
sentence  properly  belongs  after  the  closing  quotation 
mark.  When  the  quotation  forms  one  complete  sen- 
tence, the  quotation  marks,  of  course,  follow  the 
point. 


7.    Us«  of  Quotation  Marks  In  Latin  Languages. 

In  many  foreign  books,  especially  in  French,  Span- 
ish, and  Italian  novels,  no  quotation  marks  are  used 
in  dialogues  or  conversations,  a  dash  serving  to  indi- 
cate the  beginning  of  a  conversation,  also  when  one 
person  ceases  speaking  and  another  begins.  Some 
publishers  use  quotation  marks,  but  only  at  the 
beginning  and  the  end  of  the  whole  dialogue  or  con- 
versation. Quotation  marks  are  always  employed, 
however,  to  enclose  extracts  and  short  quotations 
from  the  words  of  others. 

In  the  authorized  version  of  the  Bible,  an  initial 
capital  takes  the  place  of  an  opening  quotation  mark, 
yet  there  is  no  difficulty  in  distinguishing  the  spoken 
words  from  the  descriptive  portion  of  the  text. 

The  marks  now  generally  used  in  English  to  enclose 
the  words  of  different  speakers  in  dialogues  and  con- 


112  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

versations,  therefore,  are  not  really  needed.  An 
initial  capital  at  the  beginning  of  the  words  of  each 
speaker,  or  a  dash  and  capital  if  what  is  said  by  the 
various  persons  fonn  separate  paragraphs,  would 
sufficiently  set  apart  the  conversation  from  the  rest 
of  the  text. 


GENERAL  PRACTISE 

1.  Good  company  upon  the  road  says  the  proverb  is  the 
shortest  cut 

2.  What  news  asks  man  of  man  everywhere 

3.  Who  would  hold  the  order  of  the  almanac  so  fast  but 
for  the  ding-dong  Thirty  days  hath  September  etc  or  of  the 
Zodiac  but  for  The  Ram  the  Bull  the  Heavenly  Twins  et<; 

4.  Men  are  bom  to  command  and  it  is  even  so  come  into 
the  world  booted  and  spurred  to  ride 

5.  That  a  man's  house  is  his  castle  cannot  be  asserted  in 
Japan  except  in  the  case  of  some  high  potentate 

6.  And  say  What  is  it  your  honor  will  command 

7.  A  mighty  fear  came  on  all  and  they  said  The  end  of  the 
world  is  near 

8.  In  order  to  get  the  capacity  for  happiness  one  must 
obey  the  commands  Six  days  shalt  thou  labor  and  In  the  sweat 
of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread 

9.  A  man's  ransom  who  was  it  that  had  said  five  hundred 
florins  was  more  than  a  man's  ransom 

10.  The  commissioners  sail  to-morrow  on  the  steamship 
Kaiser  Wilhelm  der  Grosse 

11.  Little  Nell  is  a  pathetic  character  in  The  Old  Curiosity 
Shop 

12.  Maude  Adams  has  played  the  role  of  Babbie  in  The 
Little  Minister  more  than  a  thousand  times 


QUOTATION  MARKS  113 

13.  The  Columbia  arrived  at  her  dock  one  hour  ahead  of 
the  scheduled  time 

14.  I  am  apt  to  believe  with  the  Emperor  Charles  V  that 
as  many  languages  as  a  man  knows  so  many  times  is  he  a 
man 

15.  He  may  soon  come  to  see  that  the  highest  price  a  man 
can  pay  for  a  thing  is  to  ask  for  it 

16.  When  Fenelon's  library  was  on  fire  God  be  praised 
said  he  that  it  is  not  the  dwelling  of  a  poor  man 

17.  I  am  not  sure  but  that  the  golden  age  of  manners  is 
to  begin  among  those  who  are  now  despaired  of  for  their 
want  of  refinement 

18.  The  question  everywhere  was  Fox  or  Pitt 

19.  If  not  some  people  but  all  would  work  and  work  faith- 
fully the  social  question  as  it  is  called  would  be  forthwith 
solved 

20.  There  is  still  another  barrel  of  apples  stenciled  Green- 
ings 

21.  A  house  says  Ruskin  is  not  in  its  prime  until  it  is  five 
hundred  years  old 

22.  If  I  were  Queen  said  Madame  de  Tees6  I  should  com- 
mand Madame  de  Sta6l  to  talk  to  me  every  day 

23.  The  laughter  of  fools  is  as  the  crackling  of  thorns 
under  a  pot  says  the  Wise  Man 

24.  The  aged  Michel  Angelo  indicates  his  perpetual  study 
as  in  boyhood  I  carry  my  satchel  still 

25.  And  what  is  Wall  street  asked  the  woman 

Well  repUed  the  man  it  is  a  little  crooked  street  at 
one  end  of  it  a  graveyard  at  the  other  end  a  river 


CHAPTER  XI 
THE  APOSTROPHE 

The  apostrophe  is  used  to  denote: 

1.  The  possessive  case;  as,  my  brother's  house; 
James's  father;   children's  games. 

In  order  to  avoid  a  prolonged  hissing  sound,  when 
more  than  two  sounds  of  s  would  come  together, 
the  possessive  may  be  formed  by  the  use  of  the  apos^ 
trophe  only:  Moses'  hat,  Francis'  son,  for  con- 
science' sake.  If  the  sound  of  the  s  forming  the  pos- 
sessive is  not  given  in  pronouncing  the  word,  the 
letter  is  not  needed  in  writing  it. 

The  possessive  case  of  it  (its)  is  written  without 
the  apostrophe;  the  possessive  of  one,  with  the 
apostrophe:    one's  feelings;    but  itself,  oneself. 

In  such  titles  as  Farmers  National  Bank,  Adams 
Express  Company,  Teachers  College,  Ladies  Dress- 
ing-room, the  first  word  is  usually  regarded  as  an 
adjective  and  written  without  the  apostrophe. 

2.  The  intentional  elision  of  a  letter  or  letters; 
as,  I'm  for  I  am;    .'tis  for  it  is. 

3.  The  omission  of  the  century  in  dates,  when 
the  century  is  understood;  as,  The  Fourth  of  July, 
'76. 

4.  The  plural  of  figures  and  letters:  there  are 
three  5's  in  the  number;  your  n*s  and  w's  are 
made  too  much  alike.    In  forming  the  plural  of 

(114) 


THE  APOSTROPHE  115 

figures,  the  apostrophe  might  be  altogether  omitted. 
In  making  the  plural  of  letters,  it  is  sometimes 
needed  to  prevent  confusion:  i*s  without  the  apos- 
trophe would  be  is,  and  w's  would  become  lis.  The 
apostrophe  is  never  needed  when  the  plural  of  a 
figure  or  letter  is  written  in  full:  there  are  three  fives 
in  the  number;  this  line  is  nineteen  ems  long. 


Practise  Sentences 

1.  Sometimes  with  the  music-masters  assistance  the  girls 
would  give  a  very  agreeable  concert 

2.  Boys  Training  School.     Girls  Reading-Room 

3.  St.  Thomas  s  Church  has  just  been  destroyed  by  fire 

4.  The  Princess  chief  passion  was  music 

5.  Midsummer  Nights  Dream.     Birds  Christmas  Carol. 
Cervantes  works 

6.  Farmers  and  Mechanics  National  Bank 

7.  You  will  find  the  Ladies  Parlor  on  the  second  floor 

8.  Master  Throckmorton  was  English  Ambassador  to  the 
Queen  of  Scots,  a  friend  of  the  Lord  James  s 

9.  The  boats  of  the  Peoples  Line  are  large  and  com- 
modious 

10.  I  show  you  after  thirty  years  trial  what  is  the  depressed 
condition  of  the  agriculturists 

11.  We  re  expecting  an  answer  to-day 

12.  Well  let  you  hear  from  us  in  a  day  of  two 

13.  Why  tis  impossible 

14.  I  m  to  go  to-morrow 

15.  Let  s  see  let  s  see     You  re  making  a  great  ado  about 
the  matter 

16.  The  boat  leaves  promptly  at  six  o  clock 

17.  That  s  all  settled     There  s  nothing  more  to  be  done 

18.  One  s  enough     I  do  not  care  for  more 


116  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

19.  I  U  be  there  before  you 

20.  He  talks  when  he  likes     Hes  lost  his  hearing  with 
ringing  the  bells      He  s  not  dumb 

21.  Is  the  last  word  spelled  with  one  or  two  88 

22.  He  is  following  a  will  o  the  wisp 

23.  The  gold  fever  in  the  early  fifties  led  many  men  across 
the  Rockies 

24.  Your  ws  look  like  ms 

25.  How  many  Is  are  there  in  the  word 


CHAPTER  XII 
THE  HYPHEN 

The  hyphen  is  used  both  to  join  and  to  sepa- 
rate. It  is  employed  between  the  parts  of  some 
compound  words;  also  to  divide  words  into  sylla- 
bles, either  at  the  end  of  a  line  or  for  the  purpose 
of  showing  the  proper  pronunciation. 

Fellow-being,    twenty-five,    long-suffering,    in-dus-tri-ous. 

Neither  hyphen  nor  dieresis  is  needed  in  such 
words  as: 
Coordinate,  cooperate,  zoology,  reestablished,  preeminent. 

In  re-^reatioriy  re-formation  (forming  anew),  and 
similar  words,  the  hyphen  is  used  to  distmguish  the 
word  from  another  spelled  in  the  same  way,  but 
having  a  different  meaning. 

Such  words  as  the  following  are  usually  written 
with  the  hyphen: 

Neo-platonism,  pre-raphaelite,  non-essential,  inter-rela- 
tionship, thermo-electric,  a-hmiting. 

COMPOUND  WORDS 

A  compound  word  is  made  up  of  two  or  more 
simple  words,  each  of  which  is  used  separately  in 
(117) 


118  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

English;  as,  eyeball,  meeting-house.  A  derivative 
contains  simple  words,  and  parts  of  words  which  are 
not  used  separately  in  English;  as,  neo-Greek,  pseudo- 
branch, 

1.  Separate  simple  words  in  common  use  which  are 
accented  as  single  words,  should  be  united  without 
the  hyphen: 

anybody,    everything,    anywhere,    somewhere,    eyebrow, 
railroad,  forevermore. 
any  one  and  every  one  are  written  as  separate  words. 

2.  When  only  one  of  two  simple  words  forming  a 
compound  is  strongly  accented,  the  compound  is 
generally  written  as  one  word. 

bookseller,  blackberry,  classroom,  copperplate,  glassware, 
grandfather,  stepdaughter,  needlework,  northeast,  southwest, 
schoolfellow,  towboat,  townfolk,  township. 

town  gate,  town  hall,  town  house,  and  town  talk  are  written 
as  separate  words. 

3.  Attributive  adjectives  are  generally  compound- 
ed :  a  high-minded  man,  a  well- ventilated  house,  the 
above-named  conditions,  the  so-called  reforms. 

Such  long  phrases  as  the  following  should  not  be 
compounded: 

attorney  at  law,  pen  and  ink  (drawing),  by  and  by,  ever 
to  be  remembered,  long  looked  for,  much  to  be  regretted, 
never  to  be  forgotten,  uncalled  for,  well  to  do. 


THE  HYPHEN  119 

4.  A  compound  should  not  be  made  when  separate 
words  will  convey  the  meaning  quite  as  well : 

coffee  trade,  common  school,  common  sense,  multiplica- 
tion table,  sister  city,  Sunday  school,  good  morning. 

5.  A  compound  should  not  be  made  simply  because 
a  noun  is  used  as  an  adjective: 

brother  minister,  county  town,  master  printer,  mountain 
top,  palm  leaf,  peasant  woman,  supper  table. 

6.  When  either  of  two  nouns  in  apposition  is 
applicable  separately  to  the  person  or  thing  men- 
tioned, the  hyphen  is  not  used;  when  the  noims  are 
not  in  apposition,  and  only  one  is  applicable  to  the 
person  or  thing,  they  are  sometimes  united  by  the 
hyphen. 

Lord  Chief  Justice,  Lord  Mayor,  Major  General;  JnU  field- 
marshal,  bone-setter. 

Many  words  of  the  latter  class  have  been  consoli- 
dated: bookkeeper,  bookseller,  newsboy,  newspaper. 

7.  Numerals  compounded  of  tens  and  digits  are 
written  with  a  hyphen:  twenty-one,  seventy-six. 
Numerals  are  compounded  with  various  adjectives 
and  nouns:  one-sided,  three-legged,  four-footed,  five- 
story,  one-horse  chaise,  twenty-dollar  note. 

8.  Such  fractions  as  the  following,  when  written 
out,  are  made  separate  words:  one  half,  three 
quarters,   seven  eighths,   five  thousandths.    Com- 


120  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

pounds  of  half,  quarter,  and  eighth,  generally  take 
the  hyphen:  half-dollar,  half-past,  half-yearly,  quart- 
er-deck, quarter-barrel;  hut  halfpenny,  headquarters, 
quartermaster. 

9.  Compounds  ending  with  hoard,  hoat,  hook,  drop, 
house,  light,  room,  side,  stone,  time,  and  yard  are  writ- 
ten as  single  words,  if  the  first  part  of  the  compound 
consists  of  only  one  syllable: 

blackboard,  bulletin-board;  sailboat,  canal-boat. 
Bchoolhouse,   dwelling-house;    greenroom,  dining-room, 
churchyard,  marble-yard. 

Compound  nouns  ending  with  man  or  woman 
should  be  written  as  one  word,  unless  the  word  so 
formed  would  be  too  long: 

chairman,   countryman,   horsewoman,   needlewoman, 
oystennan,    market  woman,    workingman.    Englishman, 
Frenchwoman;    but  an  American  woman. 

10.  A  compound  beginning  with  school  is  not  gen- 
erally hyphened,  unless  formed  with  a  participle : 

schoolboy,  schoolfellow,  schoolhousc,  schoolmaster, 
schoolmate,  schoolroom;  school  board,  school  children, 
school  committee,  school  days,  school  district,  school  teacher; 
school-bred,  school-teaching. 

11.  A  compound  consisting  of  a  present  participle 
and  a  noun  or  an  adjective  is  generally  written  with 
a  hyphen:  dining-hall,  good-looking,  printing-ofl5ce, 
writing-desk,  writing-paper. 


THE  HYPHEN  121 

12.  With  few  exceptions,  words  beginning  with 
self  take  the  hyphen:  self-esteem,  self-love,  self- 
sacrifice  ;  hiU  selfhood,  selfsame,  selfish.  When  self  is 
added  as  a  termination  to  a  pronoun,  the  compound 
is  written  as  one  word:  himself,  itself,  myself, 
oneself,   themselves. 

13.  When  two  words,  generally  expressed  as  one, 
are  employed  in  an  unusual  sense,  they  should  be 
written  as  two  separate  words. 

A  blackbird  is  a  species  of  oriole;  but  a  crow  is  a  black 
bird. 

The  coalescence  of  words  often  depends  upon  the 
length  of  time  they  have  been  in  use.  While  the 
idea  is  novel,  words  are  generally  kept  apart;  as,  long 
boat,  steam  boat,  electric  fan.  When  an  object  or  an 
idea  has  become  common,  words  are  usually  written 
as  one:  longboat,  steamboat,  railroad. 

The  use  of  the  hyphen  is  to  some  degree  a  matter 
of  taste.  If  the  meaning  of  the  compoimd  would  not 
be  clear  if  it  were  written  as  one  word,  if  the  compound 
is  made  with  an  uncommon  word,  or  if  there  is  an 
awkward  joining  of  letters,  the  hyphen  should  be 
used. 

SYLLABICATION 

The  proper  division  of  words  at  the  end  of  lines  is 
not  considered  a  matter  of  primary  importance,  as  is 
shown  by  the  inconsistencies  in  our  dictionaries  and 


122  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

the  discrepancies  between  them.  The  proofreader 
and  the  compositor,  however,  must  be  governed  by 
some  general  principles,  as  the  transfer  of  letters  or 
syllables  from  one  line  to  another  sometimes  necessi- 
tates the  respacing  of  two  or  three  lines. 

The  usual  practice  in  English  is  to  divide  words  so 
as  to  show,  as  nearly  as  possible,  their  correct  pro- 
nunciation, some  regard  being  given  also  to  deriva- 
tion, composition,  and  meaning. 

1.  Every  vowel  or  diphthong  which  is  sounded 
should  make  a  separate  syllable: 

a-nem-o-ne,  con-tem-plate,  la-i-ty,  re-al,  re-ceive,  re-en-ter. 

2.  A  short  vowel  followed  by  a  single  consonant 
or  a  digraph*  keeps  the  consonant  or  the  digraph 
with  it,  unless  in  so  doing  the  sound  of  the  consonant 
would  be  misrepresented:  hab-it,  diaph-a-nous, 
Goth-ic;  biU  le-gend. 

3.  After  long  vowels  and  unaccented  short  ones, 
the  consonant  or  consonant  combination  goes  with 
the  following  syllable:   mo-tive,  de-press. 

4.  Two  consonants  which  do  not  form  a  digraph, 
coming  between  two  vowels  or  a  diphthong  and  a 
vowel,  must  be  divided: 


*  Digraph,  a  combination  of  two  letters  to  rgpreaent  one  Bound,  as  th 
in  church,  ea  in  head. 

A  Trigraph  is  a  combination  of  three  letters  to  represent  one  sound. 
as  tc^  in  pitch,  eou  in  beau. 


THE  HYPHEN  123 

ab-bey,  ac-celerate,  ac-cent,  con-ver-sion,  for-mer,  for- 
tune, gar-den,  mil-lion,  pas-ture,  per-cep-tible,  statis-tics, 
vel-lum. 


5.  When  three  or  more  consonants  occur  between 
two  vowels,  the  first  of  which  is  short,  all  the  con- 
sonants which  can  be  sounded  together  except  the 
first  should  be  written  with  the  latter  syllable: 

blas-pheme,  dis-tress,  elec-trify,  in-stnic-tress,  pam-phlet, 
ven-triloquist. 

6.  The  division  of  a  compound  word  on  any 
syllable  is  allowable,  but  it  is  better  to  make  the  sepa- 
ration only  between  the  simple  words: 

heart-broken,  self-sacrificing,  fellow-creature,  tuning-fork. 

7.  Proper  names  consisting  of  only  one  word  should 
not  be  divided. 

8.  In  purely  English  words,  the  division  Is  made 
between  the  primitive  and  the  suffix,  even  when  the 
vowel  of  the  primitive  is  long,  except  when  the  e  or 
the  i  of  the  suffix  is  preceded  by  soft  c  or  g.  A 
syllable  of  only  two  letters,  however,  should  not  be 
carried  over.  When  the  consonant  ending  of  a  primi- 
tive is  doubled,  the  second  consonant  goes  with  the 
sufi^x: 

bak-ing,  lin-ing,  mak-ing,  self-ish,  wis-dom,  fast-cst,  wis- 
est; biU  roman-cer,  embra-cing,  char-ging;  hot-ter,  nin-ning. 


124  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

There  are  but  few  purely  English  suflSxes.  Some 
of  those  most  coimnonly  used  are: 

ed,  er,  en,  ing,  ish,  dom,  ship,  ful,  hood,  less,  ness,  ry,  ty,  y, 
ways,  wise,  and  er  and  est,  the  signs  of  the  comparative  and 
the  superlative  degrees  of  adjectives. 

9.  In  words  with  Latin  or  Greek  tenninations,  the 
division  is  generally  made  according  to  sound: 

practi-cal,  condo-lence,  stu-dent,  percepHtive,  systema- 
tize, proc-tor,  opera-tor. 

10.  C  OT  g  should  always  be  joined  to  the  following 
e,  if  or  y  which  governs  its  soft  soimd:  ne-cessary, 
capa-city,  le-gend,  sur-ging. 

11.  The  letter  x  should  never  begin  a  syllable,  as 
no  English  word  begins  with  it;  ;  should  never  end 
a  syllable,  as  it  never  ends  an  English  word:  parox- 
ysm, pre-judice. 

12.  Such  terminations  as  cial,  tial,  Hon,  iion,  etc., 
which  are  pronounced  as  one  syllable,  should  never 
be  divided.  The  letter  q  should  never  be  separated 
from  the  u  which  always  follows  it  in  an  English 
word: 

artifi-cial,  par-tial,  provi-eion,  posi-tion;  li-quid,  re-quisi- 
tion,  ubi-quity. 

13.  In  cases  where  the  exact  prommciation  is 
doubtful,  or  where  it  cannot  be  indicated,  the  divi- 
sion should  be  made  upon  the  vowel: 


THE  HYPHEN  126 

dou-ble  me-moir,  pro-duct,  pro-gress,  wo-man;  busi-ness, 
colo-neL 

14.  A  line  should  not  end  with  the  first  syllable  of 
a  word  when  it  is  but  a  single  letter;  as,  a-broad, 
a-long.  A  line  should  not  begin  with  a  syllable  of 
but  one  letter  (as  w  in  vacwum),  unless  this  immedi- 
ately follows  a  primitive  (as  in  profit-a-ble),  nor 
should  it  begin  with  the  last  syllable  when  this  consists 
of  only  two  letters;  as,  exception-al,  happi-er, 
brave-ly. 

Three  or  more  lines  in  succession  should  not  end 
with  the  hyphen.  The  division  of  words  at  the  end 
of  a  line,  whether  in  print  or  in  manuscript,  should 
be  made  as  seldom  as  possible.  The  principles  of 
taste  and  beauty  should  be  considered  as  well  as  the 
proper  mode  of  syllabication. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

REFERENCE  MARKS— MISCELLANEOUS  MARKS 

REFERENCE  MARKS 

References  are  signs,  figures,  or  letters,  which  refer 
to  matter  in  the  margin  or  at  the  foot  of  the  page. 

The  following  marks  were  formerly  employed  as 
references,  in  the  order  given: 

Asterisk,  or  Star  *  Section  ( 

Obelisk,  or  Dagger  f  Parallel  |I 

Double  Dagger  %  Paragraph  ^ 

Superior  figures  and  letters  have  taken  the  place 
of  these  marks. 

When  notes  are  given  in  the  margin,  the  figure  * 
or  the  letter  *  should  be  the  first  reference  mark  on 
every  page  containing  notes.  If  the  notes  are  at  the 
end  of  the  work,  figures  and  not  letters  should  be 
used. 

When  letters  are  used  as  superiors,  j  should  be 
omitted  because  of  its  similarity  to  i. 

Accent  Marks  are  placed  over  words  to  indicate 
their  pronunciation;  they  are  acute  (  '  ),  grave  C  )> 
and  circumflex  ( * ).  Accents  are  also  primary, 
secondary,  and  double.  Only  one  such  mark  ( '  )  is 
commonly  used  to  denote  the  stress  or  accent  in 
English,  except  in  works  on  elocution,  in  which  the 
three  are  employed. 

(126) 


MISCELLANEOUS  MARKS  127 

The  Brace  {  is  used  to  connect  a  number  of 
words  on  lines  one  below  another,  with  one  com- 
mon term. 

Prelude  in  B  minor,    '\ 

Air  in  D,  >-  Johann  Sebastian  Bach. 

Bourrfe  in  B  minor,    ) 

The  brace  should  point  toward  the  one  general 
term. 

The  Breve  shows  that  the  vowel  over  which  it  is 
placed  is  short;  rSsh,  net,  hot,  but. 

The  Caret  is  used  to  indicate  the  omission  of  a 
letter  or  letters,  a  word  or  words.  It  is  employed 
only  in  manuscript. 

e  is 

Wll  begim  half  done. 

A  A 

The  Cedilla  is  a  mark  resembling  a  comma,  placed 
under  the  letter  c  to  show  that  it  has  the  sound  of 
sharp  8  before  a  and  o  in  words  adopted  from  the 
French:    facade,  garyon. 

Two  Commas  are  used  to  show  that  something  is 
imderstood  which  was  given  in  the  line  and  word 
immediately  above.  Figures  and  names  of  persons 
spelled  in  the  same  way  should  always  be  repeated. 

Bought: 
Dec.  9,  8  yd.  broadcloth. 

"    15,8    "   flannel. 
William  Smith,  Chicago. 
William  Brown,     " 


128  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

Marks  of  Ellipsis  consist  of  a  long  dash  or  a  suc- 
cession of  points  or  stars.  They  show  the  omission 
of  letters  in  a  word,  of  words  in  a  sentence,  or  of  sen- 
tences in  a  paragraph.  Points  are  preferable  tp 
stars. 


Truly,  Lady  Teazle  is  as  censorious  as  Miss  S 

W .—Sheridan. 

You  would  pity     ...     the  poor  soul  that  shivers 

Out  here  at  your  door  in  this  merciless  blast. — Horace. 

In  his  conception  of  characters,  Sheridan  was  a  wit  rather 
than  a  humorist.  His  humor,  fine  and  dry  as  it 

was,  was  the  humor  of  the  wit. — Brander  Matthews. 


The  Index  calls  special  attention  to  a  passage. 
N.  B.  (nota  bene),  meaning  "mark  well,"  is  often 
used  for  the  same  purpose. 

9^  The  door  of  the  lecture-room  will  be  closed  promptly 
at  eight  o'clock. 
N.  B.     No  goods  exchanged  during  the  holiday  season. 

Leaders  are  points  or  periods  employed  in  tables 
of  contents  and  in  lists  of  a  similar  nature,  to  direct 
the  eye  to  the  matter  at  the  end  of  the  line. 

PAGE 

Introduction 3 

Author's  Preface 9 

Dramatis  Persons 13 

The  Macron  is  a  short  horizontal  line  placed  over 
a  vowel  to  show  that  it  has  the  long  sound:  late, 
mete,  pine,  rove,  utilize. 


MISCELLANEOUS  MARKS  129 

Three  Stars  (***)  call  attention  to  some  special 
passage. 

The  Tilde  is  a  mark  forming  part  of  the  letter  n  in 
Spanish.  It  indicates  the  sound  of  n  followed  by  y 
in  English:   canon,  nino,  senorita. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
CAPITAL  LETTERS 

1.    Independent   Sentences   and    Lines   of    Poetry. 
Direct  Quotations  and  Direct  Questions. 

The  first  word  of  every  independent  sentence  and 
of  every  line  of  poetry  should  begin  with  a  capital. 

Our  chief  want  in  life  is  somebody  who  shall  make  us  do 
what  we  can.  This  is  the  service  of  a  friend.  With  him  we 
are  easily  great.  There  is  a  sublime  attraction  in  him  to 
whatever  virtue  is  in  us. — Emerson:  Considerations  by  the 
Way. 

Howe'er  it  be,  it  seems  to  me, 
'Tis  only  noble  to  be  good; 
Kind  hearts  are  more  than  coronets, 
And  simple  faith  than  Norman  blood. 

Tennyson:  Lady  Clara  Vere  de  Vere. 

A  capital  should  begin  the  first  word  of  a  sentence 
given  as  an  example;  the  first  word  following  an 
introductory  word  or  clause;  and  the  first  word  of 
a  series  of  numbered  phrases  or  clauses,  even  when 
the  clauses  are  not  separated  by  periods. 

A  proverb  contains  a  truth,  generally  in  terse  form;  as, 
Wilful  waste  makes  woeful  want. 

Resolved,  That  the  House  adjourn,  sine  die. 

The  writer  asserts: 

(1)  That  Nature  is  unlimited  in  her  operations;    (2)  That 
she  has  inexhaustible  treasures  in  reserve;    and  (3)  That  all 
tuture  nations  will  continue  to  make  discoveries. 
(130) 


CAPITAL  LETTERS  131 

Direct  quotations  and  direct  questions  should  begin 
with  capitals. 

Theodore  Parker  said  that  democracy  meant,  not  "I'm  as 
good  as  you  are,"  but  "You're  as  good  as  I  am," 
Maury  asks,  "What  is  this  you  call  eloquence?" 

1.  Everything  has  two  sides  a  good  and  an  evil  every 
advantage  has  its  tax      I  learn  to  be  content 

2.  What  is  the  difficulty  here  where  iis  there  room  for  the 
words  how  will  it  be  and  how  will  it  turn  out  and  will  this 
happen  or  that 

3.  The  Goths  were  not  used  to  such  enemies  they  did 
not  yield  without  a  struggle  it  is  said  that  sixteen  thousand 
men  were  killed  in  the  battle  of  the  Guadalete 

4.  The  answer  was  yes 

5.  Resolved  that  the  meetings  of  this  Association  shall  be 
held  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  each  month 

6.  Franklin  said  life  is  rather  a  state  of  embryo  a  prepa- 
ration for  life 

7.  If  you  wish  to  succeed  bear  in  mind  the  maxim  nothing 
ventured  nothing  won. 

8.  Resolved  that  the  officers  of  this  Society  shall  consist 
of  a  President  a  Vice-President,  a  Secretary,  and  a  Treasurer 

9.  Resources  of  America  why  one  thinks  of  St.  Simon's 
saying,  the  golden  age  is  not  behind  but  before  you  here  is 
man  in  the  Garden  of  Eden  here  is  the  Genesis  and  the 
Exodus 

10.  Mans  heart  the  Almighty  to  the  Future  set 

by  secret  but  inviolable  springs 


2.    Proper  Nouns  and  Words  Derived  from  Proper 
Nouns. 

Every  proper  noun  should  begin  with  a  capital. 
Verbs  and  adjectives  derived  from  proper  nouns 


132  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

should  be  capitalized,  unless  usage  has  sanctioned  a 
small  letter. 

Europe,  America;  Philip,  Zenobia,  James,  Elizabeth;  the 
Pyrenees,  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar,  the  North  Sea. 

Roman,  American,  Ehzabethan,  Augustan. 

romanized,  anglicized,  americanized,  itahcize. 

China,  chinavxvre;  Cordova,  cordovan  leather;  Damascus, 
damask,  damascene;  Philip,  philippics;  Vandal,  vandalism; 
Don  Quixote,  quixotic. 

Such  verbs  as  christianize  and  judaize  are  now 
written  with  a  small  letter. 


1.  During  the  first  months  we  received  many  inquiries 
from  Scotland  hamburg  antwerp  and  india 

2.  The  promontories  at  the  western  entrance  to  the  medi- 
terranean sea  were  known  to  the  ancients  as  the  pillars  of 
hercules 

3.  It  is  a  quixotic  idea  to  expect  always  to  meet  with 
appreciation 

4.  The  Pyrenees  have  ceased  to  exist  said  louis  XIV  at 
the  time  of  the  accession  of  philip  of  anjou  to  the  throne  of 
Spain 

5.  Henry  david  thoreau  was  bom  in  concord  massachu- 
setts  on  the  12th  of  July,  1817 

6.  The  leather  known  as  cordovan  can  be  better  ob- 
tained in  tangier  than  in  cordova  spain 

7.  Abderahman  carried  the  moslem  army  into  france  but 
near  tours  he  was  checked  in  a  memorable  battle  by  the 
famous  Charles  martel 

8.  When  many  words  are  italicized  the  force  of  the  in- 
tended emphasis  is  lost 

9.  Specifications  were  presented  for  a  bridge  to  connect 
the  criminal  court  building  with  the  tombs  or  city  prison 


CAPITAL  LETTERS  133 

10.  Swords  daggers  and  damascened  wares  are  made  at 
the  Weapon  Factory  near  toledo  spain  The  old  toledo  blades 
were  so  elastic  that  they  could  be  rolled  up  like  a  watch- 
spring 


3.    The  Pronoun  I  and  the  Interjection  O. 

The  pronoun  /  and  the  interjection  0  should  always 
be  capitals.  Oh  should  not  be  capitalized  unless  it 
begins  a  sentence,  a  direct  quotation,  or  a  line  of 
poetry. 


4.    Names  of  Days,    Months,   Seasons,   and    Fes- 
tivals. 

Names  of  the  days  of  the  week,  of  the  months  of 
the  year,  and  of  festivals  should  begin  with  capitals. 
The  names  of  the  seasons,  unless  personified,  begin 
with  small  letters. 

Sunday,  January,  Easter,  Thanksgiving 
He  will  be  absent  during  the  sunamer. 

Sunday  always  begins  with  a  capital;  while  sab- 
bath, or  sabbath-day,  is  generally  written  with  a  small 
letter. 

The  words  day,  holiday,  etc.,  even  when  used  with 
a  proper  name,  generally  begin  with  small  letters: 
Christmas  day,  the  Easter  holidays. 

Nouns  personified  begin  with  capital  letters. 

a.  m.  and  p.  m.  are  not  capitalized  in  ordinary  text 
matter. 


134  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

1 .  The  goods  will  be  shipped  promptly  on  Wednesday  the 
17th  inst 

2.  Lectures  on  Electricity  will  be  given  on  thursday  even- 
ings during  the  months  of  januarj'  and  february 

3.  The  storms  of  winter  have  passed  and  there  are  signs 
of  returning  spring 

4.  New  Years  day  in  1906  will  occur  on  monday 

5.  The  thanksgiving  holidays  are  faithfully  observed  in 
new  england 

6.  The  sabbath  was  made  for  man  and  not  man  for  the 
sabbath 

7.  They  may  wdl  fear  fate  who  have  any  infirmity  of 
habit  or  aim 

8.  But  it  is  a  capital  truth  that  nature  moral  as  well  as 
physical  is  always  true  to  herself 

9.  The  poet  must  let  humanity  sit  with  the  muse  in  his 
head 

10.  When  I  think  of  reason  of  truth  of  virtue  I  cannot  con- 
ceive them  as  lodged  in  your  soul  and  lodged  in  my  soul  but 
that  you  and  I  and  all  souls  are  lodged  in  that 


6.    Goographieal  Nam«s. 

General  names,  such  as  county  and  states  when 
preceding  a  specific  name,  in  ordinary  writing  begin 
with  small  letters:  the  county  of  Cumberland,  the 
state  of  Massachusetts:  In  formal  writing,  both 
the  general  name  and  the  specific  name  begin  with 
capitals.  Each  word  is  capitalized  also  in  an  appel- 
lation bestowed  upon  a  state  or  city:  the  Keystone 
State,  the  Lone  Star  State,  the  Crescent  City. 

When  state  means  a  political  community  or  the 
powers  exercised  by  government;  it  begins  with  a 


CAPITAL  LETTERS  135 

small  letter:  the  states  of  Europe,  the  union  of  church 
and  state. 

General  names,  when  not  formmg  part  of  a  proper 
name,  should  always  begin  with  a  small  letter:  the 
law  of  the  state;  the  exports  of  this  city. 

Government  is  capitalized  when  it  forms  part  of  a 
proper  name:  the  French  Government;  hut  the 
government  of  the  country. 

According  to  the  latest  usage,  and  in  conformity 
with  the  rule  for  the  use  of  general  and  specific  names, 
when  river,  valley,  city,  square,  street,  or  place  is  used 
with  a  proper  name,  the  general  name  is  begun  with 
a  small  letter:  the  Connecticut  river,  the  river 
Charles,  the  Mississippi  valley,  the  city  of  New  York, 
Union  square,  York  street,  Graver's  lane,  Delancey 
place.     Many  writers,  however,  still  use  a  capital. 

When  forming  part  of  a  proper  name,  mountain, 
lake,  province,  and  district  usually  begin  with  capitals. 

The  Rocky  Mountains,  the  Great  Lakes,  the  Province  of 
Quebec,  District  of  Columbia. 

In  display  matter,  both  the  general  and  the  specific 
name  should  be  capitalized. 

The  words  north,  east,  south,  and  west,  when  used 
to  indicate  certain  sections  of  a  country  should  be 
capitalized;  when  they  refer  in  a  general  way  to  a 
region,  or  simply  denote  direction,  they  are  written 
with  a  small  letter. 

The  new  Northwest.  In  Southern  Europe.  The  east  of 
Asia. 


136  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

The  dweller  on  the  Pacific  Coast  regards  everything  east  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains  as  "the  East". 
They  have  had  snow  in  the  north. 
The  sun  sets  in  the  west.    The  West  is  rapidly  developing. 


1.  These  trains  run  between  topeka  and  the  city  of  mexico 

2.  The  greater  pjart  of  our  circulation  is  in  the  state  of 
Ohio  and  the  remainder  is  scattered  throughout  the  west 

3.  We  know  that  it  will  pay  you  to  use  our  space  if  only 
to  reach  our  eastern  subscribers  but  you  could  cultivate  also 
the  trade  of  our  western  readers  for  some  of  your  specialties 

4.  This  explains  why  there  is  so  great  prosperity  in  the 
north 

5.  In  almost  every  state  of  the  union  Jeffersons  presence 
was  familiar  while  in  parts  of  south  america  great  britain 
and  australia  he  was  not  unknown 

6.  We  recommend  you  to  take  your  chainless  bicycle  to 
our  new  york  store  on  cedar  street 

7.  The  drought  extends  throughout  the  mississippi  valley 

8.  The  birds  are  flying  south  which  is  a  sign  of  approach- 
ing winter 

9.  The  Jesuits  established  missions  throughout  the  south- 
west 

10.  On  the  northern  or  french  side  of  the  pyrenees  the 
descent  from  the  sunomits  is  gradual 


6.  Nam«s  of  Important  Historic  Days,  Events,  or 
Doouments;  of  Religious  Sects,  Political 
Parties,  etc. 

Words  denoting  historic  days  or  events,  or  im- 
portant documents,  and  names  of  bodies  of  men, 
religious  sects,  and  political  parties  are  capitalized. 

The  Fourth  of  July;  the  Ascension;  the  Constitution, 
Magna   Charta,   the   Pandects   of   Justinian;     the   Pilgrim 


CAPITAL  LETTERS  137 

Fathers;       Jew,     Protestant,     Presbyterian;       Republican, 
Democrat,  Conservative,  Liberal,  the  Right,  the  Left. 

The  names  of  certain  epochs  and  eras  that  are  not 
derived  from  proper  names,  are  written  with  small 
letters. 

The  dark  age,  the  middle  age;  the  Augustan  age,  the 
Elizabethan  age,  the  Christian  era;  btU  the  Deluge,  the 
Captivity,  the  Advent. 

1.  So  the  year  wore  from  Christmas  to  epiphany  and  so 
to  candlemas 

2.  The  elizabethan  age  was  one  of  great  glory  for  england 

3.  We  have  had  once  what  was  called  the  revival  of  letters 

4.  In  modern  europe  the  middle  ages  were  called  the  dark 
ages      who  dares  to  call  them  so  now 

5.  To  the  parliament  debating  how  to  tax  america  burke 
exclaimed   shear  the  wolf 

6.  The  opiX)sition  was  in  every  sense  formidable  At  its 
head  were  two  royal  personages  the  exiled  head  of  the  house 
of  Stewart  and  the  disgraced  heir  of  the  house  of  brunswick 

7.  The  poor  jews  of  the  wilderness  cried  let  not  the  Lord 
speak  to  us      let  moses  speak  to  us 

8.  There  was  a  time  when  Christianity  existed  in  one  child 

9.  The  congress  of  the  united  states  is  composed  of  two 
bodies   the  senate  and  the  house  of  representatives 

10.  If  sir  I  had  adopted  what  are  called  peace  principles  I 
might  lament  the  circumstances  of  this  case 


7.    Titles  of  Respect,  Affection,  Dignity,  or  Office. 

Titles  of  respect,  honor,  or  affection,  and  titles  of 
dignity  or  office,  if  applied  to  a  particular  person  or  if 


138  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

used  in  connection  with  a  proper  noun  or  in  formal 
address,  should  begin  with  capitals. 

Father  Ambrosius;    Uncle  William;    the  Iron  Chancellor. 
The  President  of  the  United  States;    the  King  of  Italy; 
Governor  Morton. 
Her  Royal  Highness;  to  His  Excellency,  the  Governor. 

When  a  title  use<l  alone  is  intended  as  the  sjrnonym 
of  a  particular  person,  it  is  generally  capitalized: 
the  President,  the  Czar,  the  Sultan,  the  Pope.  When 
not  used  as  the  appellation  of  a  specified  person,  a 
title  begins  with  a  small  letter:  he  was  arrested  by  a 
constable. 

When  such  titles  as  king,  duke,  general,  etc.,  are 
used  frequently  and  are  not  followed  by  the  name  of 
a  person,  they  are  not  capitalized. 

In  a  title  consisting  of  separate  words  used  with  a 
name,  all  the  words  in  the  title  should  begin  with 
capitals:  Major  General  Greene,  Chief  Justice  Pat- 
terson, Vice-President  Hobart.  Ex-president  used 
without  a  proper  name,  except  at  the  beginning  of  a 
sentence,  takes  small  letters:  only  one  ex-president 
of  the  United  States  is  now  living. 

In  salutations  of  letters,  only  words  referring  to 
the  person  should  be  capitalized:  Dear  Friend,  My 
dear  Friend,  My  darling  Child. 

Von,  de,  etc.,  are  capitalized  only  when  not  pre- 
ceded by  a  title  or  a  Christian  name:  De  Quincey, 
Thomas  de  Quincey;  Van  der  Linde,  Doctor  van 
der  Linde. 

Words  denoting  family  relations  begin  with  capitals, 


CAPITAL  LETTERS  139 

when  used  without  a  possessive  pronoun:  I  received 
a  message  from  Father;  or,  I  received  a  message 
from  my  father. 

Jr.  and  sr.  need  not  be  capitalized  in  ordinary  text 
matter.     In  display  work  they  require  capitals. 

1.  Plutarch  is  represented  as  having  been  the  tutor  of 
the  emperor  trajan  of  having  received  from  trajan  the 
consular  dignity 

2.  He  can  toil  terribly  said  cecil  of  sir  waiter  raleigh 
these  few  words  sting  and  bite  and  lash  us  when  we  are  frivo- 
lous 

3.  Montluc  the  great  marshal  of  france  says  of  the  genoese 
admiral  andrew  doria  it  seemed  as  if  the  sea  stood  in  awe 
of  this  man 

4.  The  enclosed  communication  is  from  united  states 
district  attorney  wisler 

5.  Patents  are  obtained  by  application  to  the  commis- 
sioner of  patents  at  the  patent  office  in  Washington 

6.  It  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  advise  the  auditor  and 
freight  claim  agent  of  the  name  of  each  party  who  signs  this 
guaranty 

7.  We  send  you  a  half-tone  reproduction  of  the  etched 
portrait  of  the  rev  timothy  dwight  d  d  11  d  president  of 
yale  university 

8.  All  applications  for  positions  should  be  addressed  to 
the  secretary  of  the  civil  service  board  room  42  state  house 

9.  I  beg  to  say  that  I  now  have  a  report  from  the  chief 
engineer  of  the  croton  aqueduct 

10.  A  king  or  a  general  does  not  need  a  fine  coat 


8.    Names  of  the  Deity  and  of  Christ. 

All  names  of  the  Deity  and  expressions  which  are 
titles  of  the  Deity  should  begin  with  capitals.     Pro- 


140  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

nouns  referring  to  God  or  Christ  should  be  capitalized 
only  when  used  in  direct  address  without  a  noun,  or 
when  other  pronouns  are  employed  and  a  capital  is 
needed  to  prevent  confusion. 

Jehovah,  Creator,  Providence,  Almighty,  the  Most  Hi^, 
the  Supreme  Being. 

The  Messiah,  the  Anointed,  the  Redeemer,  Prophet,  Master. 

These  are  thy  glorious  works.  Parent  of  Good. 
Almighty!    thine  this  universal  frame. 

Heaven  and  Providence,  meaning  the  Supreme 
Being,  are  capitalized.  In  all  other  cases,  they 
should  begin  with  small  letters. 

Above 
Live  the  great  gods  in  heaven  and  see 
What  things  shall  be. — Swinburne. 

The  world  was  all  before  them,  where  to  choose 
Their  place  of  rest,  and  Providence  their  guide. 

Milton:     Paradise  Lost. 

A  remarkable  providence  appeared  in  the  case. 

Heathen,  pagan,  hell,  purgatory,  and  paradise  begin 
with  small  letters.  Poetical  names,  such  as  Hades, 
Elysian  Fields,  take  capitals. 

1.  The  voice  of  the  almighty  saith   up  and  onward  for- 
evermore 

2.  Never  allow  a  shadow  of  doubt  to  enter  your  mind 
that  the  creator  intended  you  to  win  in  lifes  battle 


CAPITAL  LETTERS  141 

3.  The  horizon  opens  and  we  are  all  full  of  good- will  and 
gratitude  to  the  cause  of  causes 

4.  The  magi  followed  the  star  of  bethlehem  and  brought 
offerings  of  gold  frankincense  and  myrrh  to  the  infant  saviour 

5.  The  teachings  of  jesus  christ  affirm  the  divinity  in  him 
and  in  us 

6.  Can  you  not  wait  for  it  as  nature  and  providence  do 

7.  A  special  providence  seems  to  run  through  his  life 

8.  Emerson  says  to  every  serious  mind  providence  sends 
from  time  to  time  five  or  six  or  seven  teachers  who  are  of  the 
first  importance  to  him  in  the  lessons  they  have  to  impart 

9.  May  heavens  richest  blessings  be  showered  upon  you 
10.  At  the    command  of    joshua  the  sun  stood  still  in 

the  midst  of  the  heavens  and  hasted  not  to  go  down  for 
a  whole  day. 


9.    Names  Referring  to  the  Bible.    Saored  Booics. 

Names  which  indicate  the  Bible  or  a  book  or  a 
portion  of  the  Bible  should  be  capitalized.  The 
name  of  the  sacred  book  of  any  people  is  begun  with 
a  capital. 

The  Scriptures,  the  Old  Testament,  the  Gospels,  the  Epis- 
tles, the  Revelation  of  St.  John  the  Divine;  King  James's 
Bible,  the  Mazarin  Bible.    The  Koran,  the  Talmud. 

Bible  meaning  simply  a  book  and  not  the  book, 
should  begin  with  a  small  letter. 

This  bible  is  a  great  typographical  curiosity.  Many  bibles 
were  distributed  in  that  section  of  the  city. 

1.  The  epistle  to  the  romans     The  book  of  genesis    The 
gospel  of  st  matthew    The  acts  of  the  apostles 


Itt  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

2.  He  finds  himself  face  to  face  with  the  majestic  presence 
reads  the  original  of  the  ten  commandments  the  original  of 
the  gospels  and  epistles 

3.  The  most  famous  of  the  block-books  was  the  Biblia 
Pauperum  or  bible  of  the  poor 

4.  The  bible  has  been  circulated  freely  throughout  the 
world      This  bible  is  beautifully  bound 

5.  It  was  the  custom  in  the  early  days  of  the  church  to 
keep  a  copy  of  the  gospels  on  the  table  or  altar  and  for  this 
purpose  the  flat  book  was  found  more  convenient  than  the  roll 

6.  The  vedas  of  india  which  have  a  date  older  than  homer 
are  hymns  to  the  winds  to  the  clouds  and  to  fire 

7.  The  first  psalm  is  not  ascribed  to  david 

8.  Christ  began  his  sermon  on  the  mount  with  the  beati- 
tudes 

9.  lUfilas  known  as  the  little  wolf  translated  for  the  goths 
the  old  and  the  new  testaments 

10.  The  arab  with  his  face  to  the  east  was  murmuring 
passages  from  the  koran 


10.    Names  of  Committees,   Clubs,   Associations, 
and  of  Organizations. 

Names  of  committees,  clubs,  associations,  and 
of  organizations,  generally,  should  be  capitalized. 
When  the  article  the  forms  part  of  an  official  title  or 
the  title  of  a  book,  it  should  begin  with  a  capital, 
even  when  it  occurs  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence. 
When  the  name  of  a  magazine  or  newspaper  is  given 
in  the  text,  the  article  takes  a  small  letter. 

The  Committee  of  One  Hundred,  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  the  Union  League,  The  Right  of  Way.  The 
matter  was  noticed  in  the  Telegraph. 


CAPITAL  LETTERS  143 

11.  Advertisements,  Cards,  etc. 

In  advertisements,  cards,  programs,  etc.,  the  most 
important  words  are  generally  capitalized;  but  for 
this  purpose  capitals  should  not  be  too  freely  used, 
or  the  intended  emphasis  will  not  be  conveyed. 

12.  Works  on  Botany  and  Zoology. 

In  works  on  botany  and  zoology,  names  of  classes, 
families,  and  genera  are  begun  with  capitals.  The 
names  of  species  are  begun  with  small  letters,  unless 
derived  from  proper  nouns.  Specific  names  occur- 
ring in  a  roman  sentence  are  printed  in  italics. 

13.  Titles  of  Books,  Newspapers,  Pictures,  etc. 

In  titles  all  important  words,  that  is,  nouns,  pro- 
nouns, adjectives,  verbs,  and  adverbs  are  generally 
capitalized.  This  practise  is  by  no  means  uniform; 
some  writers  capitalize  only  nornis  and  verbs,  others 
even  prepositions  when  they  are  long.  In  some 
publications  only  the  first  word  of  the  title  is  begun 
with  a  capital;  this  is  the  foreign  method  and  the 
method  adopted  for  catalogues  by  the  American 
Library  Association. 

The  tendency  at  the  present  day  is  to  limit  so  far  as 
possible  the  number  of  capitals  employed. 

1.  A  meeting  of  the  mens  republican  club  of  the  sixth 
district  fifteenth  ward  will  be  held  on  Saturday  morning 


144  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

2.  The  councfl  bluffs  society  for  organizing  charity  has 
investigated  the  case  of  james  connell 

3.  The  war  gave  us  the  abolition  of  slavery  the  success  of 
the  sanitary  commission  and  of  the  freedmens  bureau 

4.  The  claim  of  messrs  frisky  &  sharp  is  against  the  acci- 
dent security  company 

5.  The  case  of  stark  vs  hanbury  is  on  the  list  for  trial  in 
common  pleas  court  no  1  room  k  city  hall  Philadelphia 

6.  This  will  take  one  page  in  your  annual  report  of  pro- 
ceedings for  1905 

7.  The  doomsday  book     Washington  irvings  tales  of  a 
traveler 

8.  Referring  to  the  judson  plant  we  desire  to  say  that  we 
will  forward  the  tables  in  about  ten  days 

9.  We  use  altogether  doyle's  rule  scribner's  measure  in 
measuring  logs 

10.  You  will  find  the  article  in  the  edinburgh  review 


GENERAI.  PRACTISE 

1.  We  understand  that  the  goods  are  still  in  the  custom 
house 

2.  We  have  just  examined  the  five  carloads  of  prunes  in 
the  yards  at  third  and  st  clair  streets 

3.  This  is  the  best  grade  of  coal  mined  in  the  cambria  and 
Clearfield  regions 

4.  I  should  like  information  in  regard  to  your  apartment 
houses  at  ninety-ninth  street  and  the  boulevard 

5.  The  board  of  directors  has  just  decided  to  dispose  of  an 
additional  amount  of  stock 

6.  The  proposal  of  the  warren-scharf  asphalt  paving  com- 
pany for  paving  avenue  a  has  been  accepted 

7.  Address  our  sundry  department 

8.  I  shall  be  ready  to  t^e  the  simpson  avenue  job  on 
thursday  by  12  m 

9.  On  the  south  and  east  shores  of  the  mediterranean 


CAPITAL  LETTERS  146 

mahomet  impressed  his  fierce  genius  deeply  into  the  manners 
language  and  poetry  of  arabia  and  persia 

10.  For  where  the  i  and  the  mine  are  placed  to  that  place 
of  necessity  the  animal  inclines 

11 .  In  green  oases  by  the  palm-tree  wells  he  rests  a  space 
but  anon  he  has  to  journey  forward  escorted  by  the  terrors 
and  the  splendours  the  archdemons  and  archangels 

12.  The  egyptians  built  thebes  and  kamak  on  a  scale 
which  dwarfs  our  art 

13.  It  was  watt  who  told  king  george  III  that  he  dealt  in 
an  article  of  which  kings  were  said  to  be  fond      power 

14.  Men  like  to  go  to  the  theatre  and  be  made  to  weep  to 
faneuil  hall  and  be  taught  by  otis  or  webster  or  kossuth  or 
phillips  what  great  hearts  they  have  what  tears  what  new 
p>ossible  enlargements  to  their  narrow  horizons 

15.  Lorenzo  de*  medici  it  was  thought  did  much  to  prevent 
the  fatal  outbreak  of  jealousies  keeping  up  the  old  floren- 
tine  alliance  between  naples  and  the  pope 

16.  Well  then  if  some  man  should  come  upon  me  when  I 
am  alone  and  murder  me  Fool  not  murder  you  but  your 
poor  body 

17.  We  use  in  our  idlest  poetry  and  discourse  the  names 
jove  neptune  mercury  as  mere  colors  and  can  hardly  believe 
that  they  had  to  the  lively  greek  the  anxious  meaning  which 
in  our  towns  is  given  and  received  in  churches  when  our 
religious  names  are  used 

18.  He  was  at  friedland  he  saw  moscow  he  accom- 
panied napoleon  to  the  island  of  elba 

19.  When  nature  creates  a  national  man  she  puts  a  sym- 
metry between  the  physical  and  the  intellectual  powers 

20.  If  plutarch  delighted  in  heroes  and  held  the  balance 
between  the  severe  stoic  and  the  indulgent  epicurean  his 
humanity  shines  not  less  in  his  intercourse  with  his  personal 
friends 

21.  I  have  prepared  a  correct  list  giving  the  county  grade 
name  and  address  of  every  teacher  county  examiner  and  city 
superintendent  in  this  state 


140  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

22.  Secret  retributions  are  always  restoring  the  level  when 
disturbed  of  the  divine  justice 

23.  The  attorney  general  and  solicitor  general  appeared 
for  the  crown 

24.  Hastings  continued  to  live  in  the  government  house 
and  to  draw  the  salary  of  governor  general 

25.  After  sheridans  speech  in  the  trial  of  warren  bastings 
mr  pitt  moved  an  adjournment  that  the  house  might  recover 
from  the  overpowering  effect  of  sheridans  oratory 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  ITALIC  LETTER 

ITALIC  type  is  a  letter  which  incHnes  to  the  right. 
It  was  introduced  by  Aldus  Manutius,  a  celebrated 
printer  of  Venice,  who  desired  a  compact  type  for 
the  purpose  of  issuing  small  editions  of  the  classics. 
The  letter  was  cut  by  Francisco  da  Bologna,  an  able 
engraver;  it  is  supposed  to  be  copied  from  the 
handwriting  of  Petrarch.  An  edition  of  Vergil  was 
put  in  this  letter  by  Aldus  in  1501;  an  edition  of 
Petrarch,  which  Aldus  issued  the  same  year,  is  said 
to  be  the  first  Italian  work  printed  in  italic  type. 
Originally,  this  letter  was  known  as  Venetian  or  Al- 
dine ;  but  later  it  was  called  italic,  except  in  Germany 
and  Holland,  where  it  received  the  name  of  cursiv. 

Italic  letter  was  at  first  intended,  and  was  employed, 
for  the  whole  text  of  classical  works,  but  after  a  time 
its  use  was  restricted  to  portions  of  a  book  not  prop- 
erly belonging  to  the  work,  such  as  prefaces,  introduc- 
tions, notes,  and  indexes,  the  text  being  printed  in 
roman;  at  a  later  period  quotations  occurring  in  the 
text  were  put  in  italic  type.  All  proper  names  and 
nearly  all  words  of  more  than  usual  significance 
were  at  one  time  printed  in  this  character.  At  the 
present  day,  its  chief  use  is  to  denote  emphasis.  For 
this  purpose  it  should  be  used  sparingly  and  might 
altogether  be  dispensed  with;  when  introduced  too 
(147) 


148  EXERCISES  IN  PUNCTUATION 

frequently  it  tends  to  perplex  rather  than  to  assist 
the  reader.  No  italic  is  used  in  the  Bible,  except  to 
show  that  words  not  found  in  the  original  have  been 
supplied  by  the  translator  to  make  the  sense  more 
perfect,  yet  it  is  not  difficult  to  tell  just  where  the 
emphasis  should  be  placed. 

At  the  present  day,  italic  is  generally  employed,  as 
follows: 

1.  Unfamiliar  words  from  foreign  languages  when 
printed  with  our  alphabet  are  italicized  the  first  time 
they  appear;  roman  type  is  employed  for  the  repeti- 
tion of  these  words. 

Foreign  words  which  have  become  familiar  through 
constant  use  and  which  are  found  in  the  standard 
English  dictionaries  should  be  put  in  roman  type;  as, 
cicerone,  dilettante,  role,  vice  versa. 

When  citations  are  made  from  other  languages,  it 
is  better  to  use  quotation  marks  and  print  in  roman. 

Words  spoken  of  by  name  should  be  put  in  roman, 
with  single  quotation  marks. 

2.  The  titles  of  books,  pictures,  etc.,  are  some- 
times put  in  italic,  but  roman  type  with  quotation 
marks  is  more  common. 

Titles  of  books  in  foreign  languages  may  be  put 
in  italics  if  not  quoted. 

Neither  quotation  marks  nor  italics  should  be  used 
for  titles  of  well-known  works:  The  Iliad,  Faust, 
The  Divine  Comedy,  Paradise  Lost. 

3.  It  is  a  common  practice  to  print  in  italic  the 
names  of  newspapers  and  magazines,  when  used 
in  the  body  of  a  book  or  pamphlet.     The  titles  of 


THE  ITALIC  LETTER  149 

periodicals  and  serials  occurring  in  the  text  or  in  a 
foot-note  need  no  other  distinguishing  mark  than  the 
initial  capitals  of  roman  type. 

When  the  name  of  an  author  or  of  a  book  is  put 
as  a  credit  at  the  end  of  a  paragraph,  roman  is  used 
for  author  and  italic  for  book  or  periodical. 

4.  The  scientific  names  of  plants  and  animals, 
when  first  used,  are  put  in  italic.  The  name  of  the 
species  should  always  be  italic,  however  often  it  may 
occur.  When  other  scientific  names  in  botany  or 
zoology  are  repeated,  they  are  printed  in  roman. 

5.  Italic  is  used  for  running  headlines,  headings  of 
tables,  sub-headings,  and  sideheads. 

6.  In  algebraic  and  other  mathematical  works,  let- 
ters used  as  signs  should  be  printed  in  italic,  whether 
capital  or  small. 

7.  In  lists,  as  in  programs,  when  the  enumeration 
is  made  by  letters  instead  of  figures,  the  letters  should 
be  italics. 

In  manuscript,  italic  is  indicated  by  one  stroke 
under  the  word. 

The  common  Latin  abbreviations,  i.  e.,  e.  g.,  etc., 
viz.,  are  usually  printed  in  roman  letters. 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
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WrLL    BE   ASSESSED    FOR    FAILURE  TO    RETURN 
THIS    BOOK    ON    THE   DATE   DUE.     THE   PE^L^ 

O^ERDUt  "^    ■'"^    SEVENTH     DAY 


SiF 


FEB  15    193?. 
25  193J 
JUN   7       I 
OOT    J.0  1946 


\ft 


LD  21-50m-l,'33 


Tb  u^:uo^ 


642564 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


